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David Overton's Blog » Review of SBS vs 3 Linux Solutions - do these people really know what a business needs
Review of SBS vs 3 Linux Solutions - do these people really know what a business needs
http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/breakingnews.jhtml;jsessionid=DL55IXWI4XNX4QSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleId=190900821

As always, it is interesting to have to see your own product being compared to others. Having read this article, it is balanced in many ways, but a few things annoyed me.

  1. They compared the Premium version of SBS to the Linux versions, even though no Premium functionality was used - and then said it did not compare price favourably. Well, call me a bit cynical, but if the SBS product were to have been compared at the Standard pricing, I think any price difference would have disappeared
  2. Having an AJAX enabled web based browser is no-where near as useful to most businesses as the ability to use mobile enabled e-mail on a phone or pda, web based browsing AND full blown Outlook in Cached mode which offer better mobile usage and functionality when remote from the office
  3. Application compatibility is often a key reason for choosing a server - the SBS server provides a platform for core LOB applications, be they based on Windows, .Net or web (ASP)
  4. The SBS Backup is critisized, which can be a length process if you are doing a "tin" replacment backup, however this should be a last resort- when the server has physically "blown up". In the majority of cases, users simply want to recover a file or e-mail. The tools within SBS enable this through the previous versions feature for files and recover deleted items for e-mail, thus removing the need of an administrator to perform any recovery work.

OK, rant over - always worth seeing what is being said, but it is all about trying to catch SBS rather than do something better.  I am sure Vijay will have something to say on this :-)

Posted Tue, Jul 25 2006 7:24 AM by David Overton
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Comments

iQubed wrote re: Review of SBS vs 3 Linux Solutions - do these people really know what a business needs
on Tue, Jul 25 2006 10:31 AM

Hi Dave,

I know how much you'd miss my comments? Well, if you will write such interesting posts that compell me to reply!

Interesting thing about one of the products, Nitix, they have a version with Lotus Domino http://www.nitix.com/products/domino/index.php. That's the way things have got to go for Linux in SMB. It's got to have a vendor like IBM or Novell take Small Business more seriously. I wonder if this includes the new Lotus 7 client for Linux which is based on the Eclipse framework (...as I used to write Eclipse based plugins this is a great framework for cross platform application development!)?

If you're saying that SBS has got it right for the small business market then I agree with you. As I work in the channel with IBM and Novell as well, then they need to take solutions such as Zenworks/Tivoli, Lotus/Domino, SUSE Linux and package it up for small business. As I know how seriously they take my advice, then I'm sure this will happen soon, NOT! If they did this the price would be no where comparable to SBS either.

Can you get Microsoft to drop CALs, please? This is one of the things coming from a Linux background that frustrates me. No one understands it, customers feel penalised when expanding their IT infrastructure and all in all it's a pain for everyone including Microsoft!

Cheers,

Vijay

David Overton wrote re: Review of SBS vs 3 Linux Solutions - do these people really know what a business needs
on Tue, Jul 25 2006 5:00 PM

Vijay,

It is always good sport to see a software company that is not known for undercutting its software prices for the small biz market place tell peopel they should get "free" software such as Linux, but then buy software from them!!  I notice that the Express stuff costs more if you want more than simple messaging (http://www.nitix.com/products/domino/affordable.php) and also has CALs, so you need to beg more than just Microsoft for no CALs :-)

ttfn

David

iQubed wrote re: Review of SBS vs 3 Linux Solutions - do these people really know what a business needs
on Tue, Jul 25 2006 6:07 PM

Well, IBM's model (from my view) is a mixed model of open source and commercial licensing, which I think is fine. It's just not geared up for the small business sector. I think the Express offerings talk about 1000 people or fewer- hardly small business! They do support a number of open source solutions such as Websphere Community Ed server (based on the Apache Geronimo J2EE Application Server), DB2-C Express. However, they just can't quite pull themselves away from the lure of Enterprise Customers wanting IBM Global Services for lots of shiny shillings.

I guess their view is that why compete of on base platform, okay we all need a base OS but surely business value is truely driven from the applications that run atop of these.

You can't afford to ignore small business because having run SBS 2003, a growing business isn't suddenly going to jump to Domino Server without a lot of effort.

If only they had me as their Technology Strategist! I shall be talking to IBM and you should see a turn-around of their strategy by about this time next week!!!

You have to give Microsoft credit for focusing this much effort on small business.

Cheers,

Vijay

David Overton wrote re: Review of SBS vs 3 Linux Solutions - do these people really know what a business needs
on Tue, Jul 25 2006 6:21 PM

Vijay,

The truth is that we all want paying, so one way or another the customer has to buy from us - be it services, software or hardware - if there is not enough profit in it, we will not work it.  IBM knows this and that is where their Linux business is successful - they make a lot on services.  Microsoft has a different business model, but we still need to pay the bill - and I quite enjoy being paid.

Microsoft will continue to deliver solutions for the small business and rely on them being worth while and relevant enough that businesses want to buy them and partners can make enough selling and servicing these.

ttfn

David

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