Microsoft's Small Business Server 2003, which will incorporate Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services, is going to be promoted heavily for its ease-of-deployment capabilities and enhanced remote user features, executives said at the Windows Server 2003 launch in San Francisco on Thursday.

The small business server, considered to be the fifth version of Windows Server 2003, is expected to ship by the end of September. At the launch, Microsoft executives pointed to the latest shipping date as four to five months after Windows Server 2003 ships. Windows Server 2003 ships this week. The family consists of Web, standard, enterprise, data center and small business editions.

For instance, the out-of-the-box experience for creating portals and configuring remote connections will be easier for small businesses that have mobile workforces and telecommuters.

Microsoft confirmed that it is still in discussions about whether or not to include SQL Server and Internet Security & Accelerator (ISA) security server in the next-generation server.

A Microsoft executive said the situation is still fluid. "Some customers want it, and some don't want it," acknowledged Bill Veghte, corporate vice president of the Windows Server Group at Microsoft. (See story.)

The two servers are currently part of Small Business Server 2000, but Microsoft is evaluating whether to strip those out and offer a lower-cost product to offer a high-end and a low-end version.