This week I have been preparing for an OS upgrade at a customers site. Currently they are running Small Business Server 2003 (SBS) but are upgrading to SBS2008. This led me to the SBS website and to my surprise, the new version of SBS was available to download as a Beta OS (excellent!).

So, SBS2008 has been around for 2 years now, as with other versions of SBS before, it is suitable for up to 75 users and contains the following:

1. MS Exchange Server
2. SharePoint site for collaboration
3. Remote Web Workplace
4. File and Print sharing

In short, all the things that businesses need to get going licensed as one product, installed on one server.

So, what does the new SBS contain I hear you ask….well, in short, nothing much. But, it is radically different from other versions of SBS previously released and contains 2 versions.

SBS7 (codename)

This version of the new SBS is an on premise solution, it runs on a single server and contains the usual MS Exchange, SharePoint, File and Print etc. This is likely to only contain product updated from previous versions of SBS. [more details here]

SBS Aurora (codename)

Now this is cool! With all the talk of cloud computing Microsoft have included it in the core functionality of this product. This does not contain MS Exchange, SharePoint or CRM out of the box but can provide them by consuming Microsoft’s BPOS services.

No worrying about backing up your Exchange, because Microsoft do it for you.

No worrying about losing emails if your server crashes, because Microsoft do it for you.

Great!

This product will reduce the outgoing cost for Small Businesses by allowing them to pay only for the services (Email, SharePoint, CRM) they need on a monthly basis whilst allowing Administrators to manage the system as if it is inhouse. [more details here]

We expect this to be a great product which will provide everything that an SME requires, nothing that it doesn’t. Watch this space!

Monday 7^th December – 9 a.m. until 11.30 a.m.

Gardner is please to present the first of our “No Brainer” IT consultancy days. Now that the worst of the recession is hopefully behind us, what are the obvious IT strategies and tactics we can adopt to improve and grow our businesses at last? Our presenters will be drawn from current industry leaders who will give you the best advice on how to get the best from your IT, with specific reference to the significant technology changes taking place in 2009/2010.

If you are just a bit confused or bewildered about what it all the challenges mean to you, then come along and have things explained simply. Our agenda will include:-

• Microsoft “The New Efficiency” including Virtualisation, Business Management
• NetApp Storage Efficient Technologies
• IBM Energy Efficiency Servers
• Hosted Services
• Cost Effective Security through IP cameras
• Power and cost saving tools including PC PowerDown and DocSense

The venue is the Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port. The only sharks present will be those in the aquarium! Much of the advice offered on the day is around energy and cost saving, so we will all be doing a lot towards saving the planet. The session will finish around 11-30 am, leaving you plenty of time to network with the advisors or just take the opportunity to wander around Blue Planet and add to the enjoyment of your morning.

http://www.blueplanetaquarium.com

If you are interested in attending this event please register here

Over the last few months Gardner Systems have been working hard with its technology partners evaluating and working with them on new releases , especially with Microsoft, with a new wave of technology, now included in the Microsoft “New Efficiency” campaign.

Our Network Manager Alan Eves said “ we have been so impressed with the quality of the products, but more importantly with the efficiency is running costs and importantly business practices that these new products are bringing to us”

Alan has been involved in transforming a number of the day to day operations at Gardner by heading up a SharePoint roll out across the business, “this has revolutionised the way Gardner interact with not only each other, but also our customers and event attendees”. As part of the new technology migration Gardner are looking to enhance their event management and customer interation further by deploying Microsoft CRM.

Other technology products currently rolling out across the business include;

· Windows 7 on all desks

· Server virtualisation programme, using Microsoft Hyper-V and managed with the System Centre Toolset (Virtual Machine Manger, operations manager and config manager)

· Exchange 2010

· Online Services (integrating on premise solutions with online Exchange, OCS and Live Meeting)

“these technologies are transforming the way we are operating out business, as an example the deployment of Hyper-V R2 is going to greatly reduce the physical server count, reducing both out power and cooling requirements” Alan Added.

Alongside the Microsoft technology, Gardner are also taking advantage of their NetApp storage platform as well, to allow for a hugely efficient delivery mechanism for their new virtualised infrastructure . “The NetApp storage technology is very important in our virtualisation programme, we believe it bar far the most efficient storage technology on the market, with its deduplication and cloning technology, allowing both massive space savings as well as incredibly efficient machine creation, letting us create new Windows servers in a matter of a couple of minutes. Both technologies have positively impacted what we are doing, allowing us to be much more cost and time efficient” Alan Added.

If you want to see more about what Gardner’s are doing, contact Alan to arrange a demo alane@gardnersystems.co.uk

Following a meeting with our local NetApp TPA earlier on this month, we at Gardners were quite excited about some of the pricing models announced for SMB’s.

We wanted to find out how good the price changes where, in short…fantastic! for example a FAS 2020 (NetApp entry level model) with 12 x 500Gb SATA drives is now less that £9,000, that’s about 1/2 the price they had been previously!

We think this brings NetApp’s outstanding and versatile technology right into the reach of  Small to Medium businesses, who want to see their business data more effectively managed.

 These pricing changes are on the FAS2000 series and announced by NetApp in the following Press Report.

“NetApp Expands Offering for Midsize Enterprise Customers with New Entry-Level Storage System and Aggressive New Entry Price Points

New FAS2040 Adds Increased Capacity and Performance to Award-Winning Family; FAS2020, with Its Reduced Price, Is Now More Attractive to Smaller IT Organizations

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—September 15, 2009— Showing its commitment to Midsize Enterprise and distributed enterprise customers, NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) today announced the new FAS2040 storage system, providing customers with increased performance and capacity to handle demanding Microsoft® Windows® consolidation and virtualization workloads all on the same system. NetApp also announced significant price reductions for its FAS2020 systems and associated software, which are now preconfigured with high-capacity drives and include all protocols. These systems provide excellent value for midsize customers while enabling channel partners to sell into a broader customer base.”

Good move NetApp.

The Full Official NetApp Press Release