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DESPITE ROLLOUT ROADBLOCKS, SOLUTION PROVIDERS SAY WINDOWS SMALL BUSINESS SERVER 2003'S ENHANCED FEATURES AND SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER PRICE WILL BOOST 2004 SALES
Windows Small Business Server 2003 got a rocky start out of the gate, but partners are forgiving of the distribution and technical glitches because of the big gains it offers customers at a lower price point.
The newest Small Business Server has at its core value the upgraded Windows 2003 and Exchange 2003 as well as performance and security improvements, heralded remote access, enhanced Internet features and a new version with a starting price point of $599.
Still, SBS 2003 was launched at perhaps the height of Microsoft's security woes, at Microsoft Momentum, where CEO Steve Ballmer spent more time at the podium detailing the company's planned response to the outbreak of virus attacks on Windows than on the server launch.
What's more, following the launch, partners had a tough time getting their hands on client access licenses for the new standard edition. The full-priced premium edition, at $1,499, didn't ship until Oct. 27. There was confusion about the availability of two SKUs, and some distributors didn't have the right part numbers, partners said.
But the biggest glitch was the discovery of a bug in Windows SharePoint Services that made it impossible for some solution providers to install the product.
While Microsoft's loyal solution providers dismissed the bug as a minor inconvenience with an easy workaround, the glitch compromised one of the key selling points of the upgrade: faster installations. Microsoft made a fix available in mid-December and promised to slipstream it into the product.
Solution providers acknowledge the rough start caused by distribution woes and the bug, but say the suite's key new features-especially Remote Web Workplace and SharePoint Services-and lowered prices make it an easy sell.
"It was disappointing and hindered things a bit," said Roger Otterson, president of Qualitec, a San Diego solution provider who experienced problems getting client access licenses for the standard edition after the server was released. "We were just so confident of its ability to just load up and work. It has become a major bump...