Why Your Small Business Should Use Windows Server 2003 for Small Business
August 05, 2004
By Robert Thoelen III
Principal Software Engineer
RTCubed Consulting, LLC
When I first started my consulting business, I realized that saving time would be critical if I wanted to succeed and take on many clients. I started to think about how I would best integrate my computing systems to keep my information organized. Let's face it -- we've all been in the position of "Where did I store that file? On my home PC? The desktop computer at the office? ARRGGH!" My intentions were to stay organized to prevent this from happening. It became apparent that I would benefit the most from having a server to enable data, programs, and invoices all to be stored in one central location. The plan has worked out well so far, and this article will show the many advantages provided to you by Windows Server 2003 for Small Business. For the rest of this article, I will abbreviate this product as SBS.
Microsoft Exchange E-mail Capability
Many large companies today use Microsoft Exchange to receive, process, and send thousands of e-mails every day. At my previous employer, they used this platform for e-mail. After leaving and starting my own company, I went through withdrawal. I missed having the Contacts and Calendar features. With SBS, you can get Microsoft Exchange Server, and have the same features available to large companies running Exchange. Coupled with new features with Microsoft Outlook 2003, it has made my time going through e-mails much easier. I can add spammers to a blocked senders list, to filter out the annoying clutter in my mailbox.
SQL Databases
If your business uses databases, the Premium version of SBS comes bundled with SQL server. I didn't have a need for running SQL server, so I didn't buy the premium version. However, even the standard version comes with the SQL Desktop Engine, which is used by the next useful item...
SharePoint Services
With all the major companies today scrambling to create a web portal for themselves, you can now have that same technology, thanks to SharePoint Services. This is one tool that will definitely keep you organized. I can create folders and place data items, such as Microsoft Word documents or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets on the portal. As the company grows, the other consultants can be given individual accounts for the domain, and then they will have access to the information. Sharing files is much easier, and you can even enable your people to access the information from remote computers.
Internet Information Services
If you would like to take on the task of hosting and serving up your own website from your office location, you can do so with Internet Information Services, or IIS. It was easy to set up multiple websites, and the IIS snap-in console was a breeze to use. There are many customizable options, which is nice to see. The emphasis is on security, so if you have trouble getting your website to work, it's probably because the feature you are looking for was disabled by default to keep hackers out. I'd recommend that you keep your system up to date with the latest Security and Service Packs from Microsoft, to make sure that your website will not be compromised by unscrupulous people.
Backup System
One feature that has proven to reduce my administration time considerably is the backup system. It is very simple to go into the server administration tools, and set up a backup schedule. I have a nightly backup configured, which completely backs the server up to another hard disk. Then I can take the backup file that gets created and burn it to DVDs occasionally. The options for the backup even let you specify how many previous backups to keep around. I'm very pleased with how easy it was to get this running.
Another feature you will like is the "Previous Versions" feature. After installing a simple client program on each workstation, and then enabling this feature on the server, you will have the ability to go back to a previous version of a file. This comes in handy if you accidentally save your document with changes you didn't intend to save. This feature is very useful if you are prone to overwriting your files unintentionally.
In Conclusion
For a very low price, compared to what each of the components would cost you individually, you get a very robust operating system, with easy-to-use features. I've not been a big fan of Microsoft before, but this operating system has changed my mind. It is a stable product, has the needs of small business owners in mind, and works without very much administration. It comes with 5 client access licenses, which can be expanded to 75. If you are looking to make the move from a peer to peer network, and start with a server, I would recommend this product to you. If you are in the Connecticut or Massachusetts area, please give us a call. We would love to sit down with you and discuss an implementation strategy for your business.
Related Links
August 05, 2004
By Robert Thoelen III
Principal Software Engineer
RTCubed Consulting, LLC
When I first started my consulting business, I realized that saving time would be critical if I wanted to succeed and take on many clients. I started to think about how I would best integrate my computing systems to keep my information organized. Let's face it -- we've all been in the position of "Where did I store that file? On my home PC? The desktop computer at the office? ARRGGH!" My intentions were to stay organized to prevent this from happening. It became apparent that I would benefit the most from having a server to enable data, programs, and invoices all to be stored in one central location. The plan has worked out well so far, and this article will show the many advantages provided to you by Windows Server 2003 for Small Business. For the rest of this article, I will abbreviate this product as SBS.
Microsoft Exchange E-mail Capability
Many large companies today use Microsoft Exchange to receive, process, and send thousands of e-mails every day. At my previous employer, they used this platform for e-mail. After leaving and starting my own company, I went through withdrawal. I missed having the Contacts and Calendar features. With SBS, you can get Microsoft Exchange Server, and have the same features available to large companies running Exchange. Coupled with new features with Microsoft Outlook 2003, it has made my time going through e-mails much easier. I can add spammers to a blocked senders list, to filter out the annoying clutter in my mailbox.
SQL Databases
If your business uses databases, the Premium version of SBS comes bundled with SQL server. I didn't have a need for running SQL server, so I didn't buy the premium version. However, even the standard version comes with the SQL Desktop Engine, which is used by the next useful item...
SharePoint Services
With all the major companies today scrambling to create a web portal for themselves, you can now have that same technology, thanks to SharePoint Services. This is one tool that will definitely keep you organized. I can create folders and place data items, such as Microsoft Word documents or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets on the portal. As the company grows, the other consultants can be given individual accounts for the domain, and then they will have access to the information. Sharing files is much easier, and you can even enable your people to access the information from remote computers.
Internet Information Services
If you would like to take on the task of hosting and serving up your own website from your office location, you can do so with Internet Information Services, or IIS. It was easy to set up multiple websites, and the IIS snap-in console was a breeze to use. There are many customizable options, which is nice to see. The emphasis is on security, so if you have trouble getting your website to work, it's probably because the feature you are looking for was disabled by default to keep hackers out. I'd recommend that you keep your system up to date with the latest Security and Service Packs from Microsoft, to make sure that your website will not be compromised by unscrupulous people.
Backup System
One feature that has proven to reduce my administration time considerably is the backup system. It is very simple to go into the server administration tools, and set up a backup schedule. I have a nightly backup configured, which completely backs the server up to another hard disk. Then I can take the backup file that gets created and burn it to DVDs occasionally. The options for the backup even let you specify how many previous backups to keep around. I'm very pleased with how easy it was to get this running.
Another feature you will like is the "Previous Versions" feature. After installing a simple client program on each workstation, and then enabling this feature on the server, you will have the ability to go back to a previous version of a file. This comes in handy if you accidentally save your document with changes you didn't intend to save. This feature is very useful if you are prone to overwriting your files unintentionally.
In Conclusion
For a very low price, compared to what each of the components would cost you individually, you get a very robust operating system, with easy-to-use features. I've not been a big fan of Microsoft before, but this operating system has changed my mind. It is a stable product, has the needs of small business owners in mind, and works without very much administration. It comes with 5 client access licenses, which can be expanded to 75. If you are looking to make the move from a peer to peer network, and start with a server, I would recommend this product to you. If you are in the Connecticut or Massachusetts area, please give us a call. We would love to sit down with you and discuss an implementation strategy for your business.
Related Links