Windows SBS 2011 Standard, will be the last such product. Microsoft has decided to scrap the Small Business Server product line. It will remain available through the OEM channel until December 31, 2013.
Microsoft will continue to offer Windows Server 2012 Essentials aimed at organisations 25 or less. However this will not come with the range of other product Microsoft included such as Exchange 2010, SQL Server in the premium mode and a few other offerings that Small Business Server (SBS) included.
What does this mean to small business?
For those businesses that currently enjoy SBS offering and run their own Exchange or SQL server, this would mean a greater expense in the purchase of these products separately. Microsoft is aiming at its Office 365 cloud application to serve small business. However in Australia there are legal and technical challenges around this offering. Please review our previous post on Office 365.
How is the industry reading this?
Much of the blogs and posts online believe this is a large mistake by Microsoft. Microsoft has a strong presence in the Small Business space, and by taking away the facility for organisation to choose an cost effective onsite solution, they will be actively giving up huge pieces of their market.
Varidan’s take.
I for one do not mind, there will be competitive new low cost mail servers software that will fill this space. This will bring innovation and fresh approaches to onsite mail delivery. For those organisation needing Exchange functionalities that do not want to go to Office 365 or spend full price on the Exchange product, there are other cloud based options other than Office 360.
- Varidan very own Shared Exchange Mail Hosting
- Other Australian host based Exchange
- Google Mail
The right solution will depend on a variety of factors, but there will be a solution that fits small business needs.
For those wanting SBS, you still have 12 months to purchase that latest version , which will give you another 5 years of product updates and support, plus the value for money that Small Business Server offered.
Author: Adam Sheridan
Further Reading
http://blogs.technet.com/b/sbs/archive/2012/07/05/windows-small-business-server-essentials-becomes-windows-server-2012-essentials.aspx
http://www.varidan.com.au/microsoft-office-365-what-is-it