Some five months after the debut of Windows Server 2003, Microsoft has released the "lite" version, Windows Small Business Server 2003, to manufacturing for an official launch October 9. Microsoft says Small Business Server (SBS) is specially tailored to meet the needs of small businesses -- delivering the benefits of enterprise-quality computing in a familiar, easy-to-use Windows experience, according to Windows Server Group corporate vice president Bill Veghte.
"We designed Windows Small Business Server 2003 as an integrated package that enables small businesses to easily find, share, communicate, and remotely access information with the confidence that their data is secure," Veghte says. Specifically, the integrated server suite will let companies with 75 or fewer employees:
Automatically protect business information. Small businesses can centralize disparate information into a standardized common computing system that helps ensure that the right people have access to sensitive information; important files are backed up regularly; and their connection to the Internet is secure.
Enable employees to get more done every day. Employee productivity is enhanced with collaboration capabilities such as Windows SharePoint Services that let people work together remotely through a shared workspace.
Reach more customers and serve them better. Capturing new business opportunities and delivering high customer satisfaction requires small-business owners to professionally manage customer and partner communications, so new features in Outlook 2003 with Exchange Server 2003 help them conduct business nonstop with Web sites that are always accessible.
Quickly set up and easily operate a Windows Server. Innovative wizards capture best-practice experiences in straightforward, automated, step-by-step tools so customers can simply and powerfully perform tasks required for day-to-day network management.
Windows Small Business Server 2003 bundles the eponymous operating system -- with file, print, and application sharing and Active Directory support -- with Windows SharePoint Services for team communication and collaboration, Exchange Server 2003 for Internet e-mail and messaging, and Shared Fax Service that lets users send faxes from their desktops and receive them via SharePoint, e-mail, or printer.
A premium edition adds the Microsoft Office FrontPage 2003 Web site creator, SQL Server 2000 database, and Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server for secure, shared Internet access and routing, network address translation (NAT), and firewall services.
The standard edition of SBS 2003 will cost $599 for a five-user license, with additional client access licenses (CALs) priced at $99 each (the former is a trim and the latter is an increase from Small Business Server 2000 pricing). The premium version is expected to start at $1,499.
