Small Business Server is aimed at businesses with 5-25 computers. (Its license allows it to be used for up to 75 computers but it’s time to look at moving to the next step when you get above 25 or so.) It can be tempting to save a buck by having a well-meaning friend set it up instead of hiring a consultant.
Here’s a story that illustrates why it’s important to get someone involved that has experience with SBS. In this case, consultants were called in to look at an SBS setup done by the business owner with a little help from Dell. They discovered there were no backups, there was no security on the Internet connection leading into the server, port 3389 was open, all users were logging in with domain administrator privileges, and two out of three hard drives in the RAID array were not working. It’s a recipe for a disaster that in many cases would quite literally shut the doors of a small business.
If you’re considering Small Business Server, it should be set up by a specialist. When it’s done right, monthly maintenance costs are minimal – but don’t try to avoid that up-front cost!
