To SBS or Not To SBS

seedubya

seedubya

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Hi all

I have a client who is currently looking for a quotation for replacing his 5 yr. old SBS 2003 box and 7 Client PCs. I had just started getting the quotation together when I began to wonder if there's a better way for him. For instance he only uses Exchange for email - no calendars, address books etc. His current server simply has some accounting programs installed (in order to centrally store data) and functions as a file server, AD box and runs daily backups. Future growth is unlikely. There has to be a better way.

Discuss... :D
 
let me start by saying that i'm no fan of SBS as I believe it inhibits growth by tying customers to MS solutions to a certain point if they fully utilize it. And i've yet to see a client fully utilize it.

BUT

In that situation I think the price point says keep it.
It might be the easiest path to upgrade.
Server 2008 with 10 licenses would be more expensive.
A linux box with samba will prohibit them from running apps on it.

Some questions to ask them or yourself:
What are you going to offer to replace it with?
Can you replace the exchange portion with something that will be trouble free for them? (gmail, hosted exchange)
why are they using the exchange portion if they aren't using calendars or sharepoint?

there's as many options out there as there are situations.
I know a lot of the accounting software packages like QB, MAS90, Peachtree and CS can run the "server" portion on a workstation but it's not an idea situation.
 
Thanks for the reply. I've actually got a few issues here -
For instance -
  • the overkill that is Exchange (in this instance) I'd probably prefer Google Apps for him - but that has a yearly sub - $350 in his case which is 1750 over the expected life of the server.
  • Then should I just forget SBS and go Standard?
  • Are his existing apps going to work with Windows 7 and/or Server 2008 R2?
  • What about 64 bit compatibility?
  • What hardware should I spec. (I'm considering single i5 + 8Gb + RAID5)
  • Shoud I migrate or do over his domain?

I'm just thinking out loud here now, but all input gratefully accepted.
 
If he's already paid for SBS then a simple h/w upgrade would seem to be a pretty good option really.
 
The SBS is Dell OEM and so can't be transferred to new hardware. A simple RAM/Processor upgrade won't cut the mustard as the hardware is 5 years old and if you've never had to try and get spares for Dell servers over 5 years old, well it's a nightmare. I had one client whose PS in his SC1600 blew 5 weeks ago - we're still waiting for a replacement from Dell. I had the original repaired with a company that manufactures power supplies - he was still down for 3 working days. The risk of hardware failure at this point in a server's life is quite high. I don't think it's worth the risk. If spares were readily available I'd simply max out the RAM on the existing server but their not.
 
seedubya said:
The SBS is Dell OEM and so can't be transferred to new hardware. A simple RAM/Processor upgrade won't cut the mustard as the hardware is 5 years old and if you've never had to try and get spares for Dell servers over 5 years old, well it's a nightmare. I had one client whose PS in his SC1600 blew 5 weeks ago - we're still waiting for a replacement from Dell. I had the original repaired with a company that manufactures power supplies - he was still down for 3 working days. The risk of hardware failure at this point in a server's life is quite high. I don't think it's worth the risk. If spares were readily available I'd simply max out the RAM on the existing server but their not.
Click to expand...

okay i see your dilemma now.
unless i'm mistaken you won't be able to use the upgrade option for SBS on different HW because of the OEM.

Your just going to have to make an informed guess for them and stick with/behind it.
If you get them a new version of SBS with HW that you supply they wont be tied to the Dell or any other manufacturer supply chain. The upgrade path may be a little easier for you as well. this could be a selling point. labor time vs product.
Another thought, will the server portions of the accounting software run on 2008? you may have to keep the old server around for a bit. I have an accountant customer that needs to keep their win2k server for another 2 years because of some software that holds some historical data. the vendor is out of business and they don't want to print everything to a pdf file at the moment.
 
I was a big fan of SBS 2003 but no so much with 2008 SBS. What I've started doing with my clients is selling them a VPN router if they need remote login, Standard server & Microsofts Business Productivity Online Standard Suite which is $10 per user/per month. So far its being working perfectly for my client which has 5 active servers and 20 workstations. right now they have just 20 users using Microsofts BPOS but within the next 2 years it should be up to about 40.
 
you get 18% from the first year and then 12% after that. it is an exchange server so they can continue to use outlook just like they did before.
 
seedubya said:
Hi all

I have a client who is currently looking for a quotation for replacing his 5 yr. old SBS 2003 box and 7 Client PCs. I had just started getting the quotation together when I began to wonder if there's a better way for him. For instance he only uses Exchange for email - no calendars, address books etc. His current server simply has some accounting programs installed (in order to centrally store data) and functions as a file server, AD box and runs daily backups. Future growth is unlikely. There has to be a better way.

Discuss... :D
Click to expand...

Quick thought but....feasability to upgrading box to decent spec and virtualising his existing SBS?

That way most parts should be pretty standard for years and upgrading should be a doddle.

Just an option or not?
 
4ycr said:
you get 18% from the first year and then 12% after that. it is an exchange server so they can continue to use outlook just like they did before.
Click to expand...

I thought it was 12% & 6%... has this changed along with the name from BPOS to Office 365? Is MS still only running/offering Exchange 2007 vs. 2010?

-Randy
 
seedubya said:
So why BPOS as opposed to Google Apps Premier? Also what's your end for selling BPOS?
Click to expand...

I sell MS because i'm a Microsoft Partner, the technical support is good, its fairly well done, I dont sell beta services. My client was using Outlook with 2 exchange servers, to me google is fine for personal/home services but I still dont like them for business. I wanted as little difference between what they had been using to what they are using now.

as far as whats in it for me. easy of use/ administrator/ lowering the overhead. The first client I setup with MS BPOS went from there systems not working ever few days to working perfectly with a good easy of use. for 20+ people that have no computer technical ability what-so-ever
 
Cybjun said:
I sell MS because i'm a Microsoft Partner, the technical support is good, its fairly well done, I dont sell beta services. My client was using Outlook with 2 exchange servers, to me google is fine for personal/home services but I still dont like them for business. I wanted as little difference between what they had been using to what they are using now.

as far as whats in it for me. easy of use/ administrator/ lowering the overhead. The first client I setup with MS BPOS went from there systems not working ever few days to working perfectly with a good easy of use. for 20+ people that have no computer technical ability what-so-ever
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying.

Getting two Exchange servers out of the loop is a great achievement and anything that reduces complexity is to be lauded. Well done. That's what I'm after with Google Apps Premier, which, fyi, is not a beta product.
 
MobileTechie said:
So does MBPOS host old accounting apps then?
Click to expand...

The suite includes Microsoft Exchange Online for email and calendaring; Microsoft SharePoint Online for portals and document sharing; Microsoft Office Communications Online for presence availability, instant messaging, and peer to peer audio calls; and Office Live Meeting for web and video conferencing.

cut and paste right from MS's site. I'm gonna go with no for now

P.S. I stand correct I forgot that google no longer calls all it apps/services beta, however with google apps for business @ $50 per user. I think I'm gonna stay with Microsoft too
 
Last edited:
seedubya said:
So why BPOS as opposed to Google Apps Premier? Also what's your end for selling BPOS?
Click to expand...

What is your customer going to use on the client side? If they're going to stick with Office / Outlook you are probably going to have integration issues with Google Apps on the back end. There are some translation tools but I've read they can be "quirky".

If you're considering moving your customers base over to Google Apps for the client machines as well, I would sit down and have a long talk with your client to fully understand their needs and comfort levels.

Google Apps is cool and those of us who are techy are more then willing to fiddle with it but if your customer has used Outlook since forever and been happy with it, they might not really enjoy jumping out of their comfort zone and retraining the staff to save $XX per month.

Just make sure you're looking out for your customer and not wanting to tinker with something cool while having your customer foot the bill.
 
I would stick with SBS. I just setup a 2008 one and its was the easiest thing I ever did. Remote access is flawless (with SSL cert).
 
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