SMB Windows Bundles Hit RC1 Stage

Published: July 16, 2008

by Alex Woodie

Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008, the two bundles of Windows products for small and mid size businesses (SMBs), have hit the Release Candidate 1 (RC1) stage and are on track for delivery later this year, a Microsoft executive said at last week's partners conference.

Bob Kelly, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Server & Tools Group, announced the RC1 news at last week's Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston, Texas. "I get the luxury to announce a couple different things here today," he says. "Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Essential Business Server 2008 have hit RC1 status, and we will launch these in a public way November 12."

The two bundles combine the latest releases of the Windows Server operating system along with a collection of the most commonly used messaging, middleware, management, and security tools in Microsoft's arsenal.

The new mid size offering, Windows Server Essentials 2008, includes Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition, Exchange Server 2007 Standard Edition, SQL Server 2008 Standard Edition (with the Premium bundle), System Server Essentials 2007, Forefront Security for Exchange, and Forefront Threat Management Gateway, Medium Business Edition. This bundle, which designed for organizations with 25 to 300 users, starts at $5,472, which includes five client access licenses (CALs).

Windows Small Business Server 2008, which is designed for organizations with five to 75 users, includes Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition, Exchange Server 2007, and SQL Server 2008. Pricing for Windows Small Business Server 2008 starts at $1,089, which includes five CALs.

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