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Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Launches; Can Linux Counter?
At the bottom of this article about Microsoft Small Business Server 2008, The VAR Guy openly wonders if Linux advocates will ever effectively brand their software for small business servers. |
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Comments (8)
I think the small business sector is largely being ignored by Linux/FOSS companies
The Small Business market is usually tended to by the smaller local companies. These companies have been using Linux for years. The author seems to believe that unless a large company such as Novell or Red Hat is doing this it is not being done. Small business does not have the profit margin of a larger business system. Linux has been in the small business market for years. Microsoft is just catching up.
The small business market is largely ignored because so many of the companies serving it are Microsoft partners, not Linux providers.
Makes a certain amount of sense - go to one place to get your systems set up, get your Microsoft Office, your Quickbooks. There is also the likelihood that you will use some piece of software specific to your business that is all but certain to run on Windows.
On the other hand ---
What will Linux do to counter the new offering?
HELLO!!!!?? Anybody in there? Being able to use SQL server on another box is a new feature that needs to be countered?
Ummmm.....I believe Linux land "countered" that wondeful feature the first time anybody brought postgres up on a linux box. It's just in the nature of how things work.
Makes a certain amount of sense - go to one place to get your systems set up, get your Microsoft Office, your Quickbooks. There is also the likelihood that you will use some piece of software specific to your business that is all but certain to run on Windows.
On the other hand ---
What will Linux do to counter the new offering?
HELLO!!!!?? Anybody in there? Being able to use SQL server on another box is a new feature that needs to be countered?
Ummmm.....I believe Linux land "countered" that wondeful feature the first time anybody brought postgres up on a linux box. It's just in the nature of how things work.
It's not what Linux is capable of or not, but whether Small Businesses are even sufficiently aware that Linux exists, and whether or not there are bundles that make sense to the small business owner, that's actually what Microsoft is doing, creating price point bundles that a small business owner can look at and make a purchasing decision on. Small businesses rely on you the sales person to tell them what will meet their needs, and then for the most part decide on price (or value as they see it).
There are a lot of small Linux companies pitching things to local business owners (I am about to become one of them :-) But there is no SBS-like distro to pitch that comes with a nice stack running out of the box.
Try SME Server from http://contribs.org - friendly community, great product. SBS replacement and more with a web interface, automated backup, etc.
I'll have to get a copy and give it a try.
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