Test Center Review: Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Aims To Please SMBs

With the introduction of Microsoft's Small Business Server 2003, the company has demonstrated that its focus on the small-business market hasn't waned. Solution providers will find that the product is evolutionary in nature as opposed to revolutionary. Microsoft has focused on enhancing features already present in Small Business Server 2000, as opposed to attempting to reinvent the market. That will be welcome news to those familiar with the previous generation of Small Business Server, which was found to be an excellent solution for businesses with fewer than 50 seats.

The biggest change solution providers will find is that SBS is now based upon the latest generation of Microsoft's server products, including Windows Server 2003, Exchange Server 2003, Outlook 2003 and SharePoint Services. Other key elements have been re-engineered for better integration and management, including ISA Server and SQL Server 2000.

Solution providers serving the SOHO market, which usually comprises businesses with fewer than 10 seats, will benefit from Microsoft's division of the SBS product line into two distinct products: a Standard Edition and a Premium Edition. The Standard Edition of SBS 2003, which will be available at a significantly lower (but as-yet undisclosed) price than the Premium edition, is aimed squarely at the budding server appliance market. The Standard Edition differs from the Premium Edition in that it lacks ISA Server, Front Page 2003 and SQL Server. For smaller businesses relying on broadband routers for connectivity and security, the lack of those additional products should not pose a problem.

Test Center engineers took a first look at pre-RTM code and were impressed with the direction Microsoft is taking with SBS 2003. Solution providers will find the product much easier to install and configure than earlier SBS offerings. Much of that simplification comes from the underlying role of Windows Server 2003 and the leveraging of a feature known as Server Roles. Microsoft also has enhanced management consoles, helping ease both troubleshooting and day-to-day management. Solution providers will find the consoles more intuitive, with greatly improved help screens.

Another key element that has been improved is integrated backup. The bundled backup application now offers options that rival what's found in some third-party products. More backup options are supported, and backup scheduling and reporting has been improved. Solution providers looking to serve document-driven environments will appreciate the inclusion of SharePoint Services version 2. That product enables solution providers to build rudimentary document-routing systems, portals and intranets for specialized business cases.

Remote access has also been vastly improved. Solution providers will find VPNs much easier to set up, and connectivity can now automatically be combined with integrated remote-access capabilities. For sites using Windows XP, remote users will be able access remote desktop capabilities or improved terminal services--a benefit for businesses in which remote access is the norm. All things considered, Microsoft has demonstrated that SBS 2003 may very well be the best version yet of its venerable Small Business Server product line.