Microsoft has released Windows Small Business Server 2011 – SBS 2011 Standard and the optional SBS 2011 Premium Add-on. Microsoft lists the release date for SBS 2011 Essentials as 1H 2011.
According to Microsoft, two SBS 2011 editions exist. However, Microsoft considers the SBS 2011 Premium Add-on (at $1,604) to the ($1,096) Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard platform) and not a separate edition. The $545 Windows SBS 2011 Essentials package, has a 25-user limit.
Organizations needing to deploy additional servers within their SBS environment must purchase the SBS 2011 Premium Add-on. The add-on includes a Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard license, which enables deploying a second server on a Windows Small Business Server 2011 network. The Premium Add-on also enables adding virtual servers running within a Hyper-V environment in an SBS 2011 network.
Thanks to the power of Microsoft’s Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1, email services included in SBS 2011 are robust. Included Outlook Web Access (OWA) services mimic Microsoft Office Outlook much more than previous versions. An improved Microsoft Exchange Management Console provides a single location for administering user email. The power of Exchange 2010’s advanced retention policies and deployment rules, and new archiving options, all become available on the SBS platform with the 2011 edition, as does automatic mailbox and database corruption detection and repair.
Windows Server Update Services, had a tendency to consume gigabytes of disk space, often on incorrectly partitioned C volumes. SBS 2011 benefits from WSUS 3.0 Service Pack 2, which simplifies patch and update management. Windows 7 support is included, as is BranchCache, which enables storing file and Web server content at branch locations to reduce WAN traffic. Numerous other performance enhancements and bug fixes are also included in the SP2 version.
Windows SBS 2011 Essentials requires no client access licenses (CALs). Yes. You read that right. SBS 2011 Essentials requires no CALs. Microsoft must have discovered that small offices don’t track CALs well and are simply confused by the concept. SBS 2011 Essentials includes those costs within its server OS license, further simplifying deployment and administration within small organizations.
While CAL requirements are eliminated within the SBS 2011 Essentials edition, the platform can’t be used in larger offices. Interesting, SBS 2011 Standard and Premium Add-on CALs suites are not concurrent, – separate CALs are required for every user accessing the SBS 2011 server. Microsoft has an excellent FAQ, providing more licensing information, on its Web site.
. The SBS 2011 release includes Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Services 2010 to fuel secure online internal communication. The newest SharePoint version helps organizations reduce costs by consolidating multiple sites on an intranet administered locally, which makes it easier to share files and coordinate calendars. It also includes native monitoring, alert, and administration tools.
