[There's a reason that Yoda is the unofficial mascot of SBS. Size indeed matters not.] I am a spoiled SBSer - THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS DIVA
Wed, Oct 31 2007 20:14 bradley

I am a spoiled SBSer

Lately I've been doing some work in Win2k8 RC0 and when you work on "big server" platforms, you forget all the little things that you take for granted on SBS that .. are just there.  When you fire up Win2k8 Enterprise and look in the group policy management console, the first thing you will notice that it's a blank slate.  And I do mean a blank slate. 

Now while some would say "Oh this is cool as i can set it up the way I want to", I'd argue that there are efficiencies because I'm not having to reinvent the wheel.

Firewall policies for Vista and XP are preconfigured.

WSUS policies in place already. 

The foundations are built for you.

And I strongly feel that if SBS 'fits' the small business, you are doing them a disservice if you choose the regular server platform.

Does it fit in all places?  No. But when it does..and you don't install it.. man you are doing a client a disservice.

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# re: I am a spoiled SBSer

Thursday, November 01, 2007 7:05 AM by Vlad Mazek

Eh, I'll disagree with you because it's almost Friday.

I feel SBS fits a small business that has a stagnant work force count and wants to be able to do a little DIY from time to time instead of relying on an IT firm.

For all other cases, you are doing the business a disservice by picking SBS and limiting them to a closed box solution with a very expensive escape (transition pack) to a scalable solution, burdening them with a cookie-cutter solution instead of one that fits their business not just today but their plans a year or two out.

When I 'sit' one of the first questions is how important is productivity, followed by how much are you willing to invest in it, followed by the growth scale. If the productivity is important in a growing company and they have $3-5,000 a year to spend on Microsoft licensing, putting SBS in that business just because it's "easy" is a copout.

Devils advocate.

-Vlad

Not an SBSer.

# re: I am a spoiled SBSer

Friday, November 02, 2007 12:01 PM by bradley

SBS doesn't limit a firm.  Most small firms I see are not the Microsoft model of starting with 11 people and growing to 75,000.

You aren't a devil's advocate, you just aren't catering to the small business market I see and deal with.

SBS doesn't do a firm a disservice.  Transition pack escape clause is the same cost you'd have if you started with the "big server" pieces from the get go.

As I said WHEN IT FITS you are doing a firm a disservice.  I didn't say anywhere that this is "easy".  I said that the foundations are built.

Susan

SBSer and running my business on it.

# re: I am a spoiled SBSer

Friday, November 02, 2007 1:04 PM by Dantv

I'm with you Susan, I love SBS. It's been a perfect solution for the market I cater to which is the small business from 10 to 30 employees!