Is it too powerful for small businesses?

Is it too powerful for small businesses?

Since I founded RoyalGeeks.Com nearly five years ago I’ve encountered just one client who was making good use of a Windows Small Business Server.

Just one.

Everyone else? Barely using it. Thousands of dollars invested in hardware and software all so this prime example of Windows prowess can be nothing more than a glorified file server; something any decent computer from Windows 2000 Professional to Windows XP Home Edition to Vista Home Basic and Windows 7 Home Premium can do – at a fraction of the cost.

How? Why?

As best I can figure the “old computer guy”, our IT consultant predecessor, pitched the client and prominently repeated the full name of the product “Windows Small Business Server” over and over again inducing a hypnotic trance on the client who fell for the pitch hook, line and sinker.

The reasoning of the small business owner is sound at the surface “I own a small business. Investing in a Windows Small Business Server makes a lot of sense – it can really help us be more productive.”

That really does make sense, doesn’t it?

And it would be true if there was any serious commitment to utilize all that computing power.

The sad truth is that small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs don’t tap into even 10% of what a Windows Small Business Server (SBS 2003 or SBS 2008 for short from hereon) can do.

What can Windows SBS 2003 and Windows SBS 2008 do? Here’s just a partial list:

  • Deliver integrated Outlook functionality across the office — email, calendar, task list – both shareable and private.
  • Host your own public website, private website – or both thanks to IIS.
  • Provide Internet connectivity to the whole office with optional sets of rules for web filtering and even access times.
  • Real-time collaboration on internal documents delivered via the server so employees can work together on projects via Sharepoint.
  • Automatic delivery of Windows Updates through delivery to desktops right from the server.

    • Remote access possibilities deserve their own list:

  • Allow workers to login to their own computers remotely via the server.
  • Provide remote desktop login right to the server ala Terminal Server
  • Facilitate secure, encrypted Virtual Private Network connections over the Internet.
  • Web-based access to an employee’s Outlook via Outlook Web Access.

    • The next time a consultant sings the praises of Windows Small Business Server ask yourself three important questions:

    Can I really use even half of these features?
    Will I see a respectable ROI (Return on Investment) on a Windows SBS?
    What’s in it for the consultant? A big sale? Lucrative long-term consulting fees? Both?

    Caveat emptor, my friends!