Microsoft Small Business Server to the Rescue

iStock_000000723261XSmall Our client, a busy accounting firm was plagued with software running at a crawl and lack of disk space. Their backup was taking over a half day and they were experiencing frequent crashes. The need for higher email volume, more storage, and improved security was going to make matters worse, not better. The Microsoft Windows Small Business Server Standard 2008 and Swing Migration solved their problems and set them up for future growth. Read on to learn more about this successful migration.

Introducing Small Business Server

The Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 integrates the Microsoft Server 2008 and Exchange 2007 into a single solution at an affordable price. The Microsoft Server 2008 is an excellent solution for fast file and print sharing and system backup. The Exchange Server 2007 delivers greater mobility without sacrificing performance or security. It is an ideal platform for e-mail, Internet connectivity, remote access and support for mobile devices with built-in security, anywhere access to e-mails and mobile messaging with faster performance, and operational efficiencies.

64 Bits of Power

Stepping up to the 64-bit Microsoft Server 2008 gave the firm the fast performance for their software and for the back-up of all of the system files. The increased storage apacity of Server 2008 met the firm’s needs to expand the Time Matters^® client management data base and their increased use of the Internet and e-mail. Exchange 2007 gave the accounting firm the platform to expand their use of e-mail and the Internet and remote access in a fast and secure environment.

Smooth Transition

Woman Office Worker The upgrade from their existing server to their new server was done over a weekend without any interruption to the firm’s normal operations. The transition was accomplished using the Swing Migration so that no changes were required to the workstations to operate with the new Small Business Server. We maintained the operation of the old server so that it would be available in the event of any unforeseen problems. But, as expected, there were no problems and the transition of their applications and files to the new server was seamless.

The new integrated server provided the fast performance that they wanted for their Time Matters^®client management system, the time to backup was reduced to a manageable 4 hours, and they were able to expand their use of the Internet and e-mail and remote access in a more secure environment. The new server also provided room for growth of their files and the performance for their increased use of the Internet and e-mail. And the frequent crashes and the workstations slowdowns have been eliminated.

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Low Cost Upgrade from Peer-to-Peer

iStock_000000184137XSmall The business of a small property management company with a peer-to-peer network was growing and they needed the increased performance and storage provided by a file server for their files and accoumtimg data bases. But, they could not afford the normal hardware, software, and labor costs for a typical file server that would give them. Their increased use of email and Internet further aggravated the problem. The low cost Microsoft Foundation Server proved to be an ideal solution with faster speed and more storage for the Property Management and Asset software and for their increased use of email and Internet. .

While the cost of basic server hardware has been dropping, the cost of a Windows Sever licenses has been disproportionately expensive for small businesses. The low cost of the new Microsoft Foundation Server remedies this problem. The Foundation Server supports systems with 2 GB of memory and 500 GB of disk space. It runs all Windows Server applications, including backup, anti-virus and other security tools. It includes licenses for 15 users with no additional client access licenses so that a small business does not have to get more licenses when they add 5 or 10 more users.

The Foundation Server provided great results within their limited budget. The firm was now well positioned for future growth. The firm was no longer plagued with very slow access to their client files and they now had lots of room to expand their client and accounting data base files. They were able to expand their use of the Internet and e-mail and remote access in a more secure environment. They were now well positioned for the future and kept costs within their budget.

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