Forget About Replacing SBS - Move to the Next Generation Instead

I've been addressing the demise of SBS (Small Business Server) for about six years now. In 2008, my brother Manuel and I put on a major training event on the topic of "Zero Downtime Migration" of SBS. Immediately after that, we started retooling our business for a world without SBS.

I was pleased when SBS 2011 came out. I was grateful that we had one more shot at the market. My brother and I came out with a revision of our Network Migration Workbook. And immediately, Microsoft nuked the product and lured the world over to Server 2012 Essentials.

During my SMB Preday shows for 2009-2913, I spent a LOT of time on alternatives SBS. Let me be very clear about that: Alternatives to . . . Not replacements for SBS.

Think about it this way: If you start by saying that you want to replace SBS, you will look for a solution that looks like SBS. That has some obvious coolness.

- One server with

- Exchange onsite
- File Storage onsite
- SQL onsite
- SharePoint onsite
- Active Directory onsite
- Backup onsite
- Centralized control of remote acess
- Embedded monitoring and reporting

Now. Please come to a full stop.

If you were to create the ultimate small business technology environment today, what would it look like? For me, it's no longer SBS.

It's more like . . .

- A small server onsite
- Exchange hosted in the cloud
- Local file storage
- Backed up to the cloud
- SQL either onsite or in the cloud, depending on which is most appropriate
- SharePoint either onsite or in the cloud, depending on which is most appropriate
- Active Directory onsite
- Remote access managed locally or in the cloud, as appropriate
- Monitoring and Reporting via top-quality Remote Monitoring and Management tool

The bottom line is that you need to right-size your solution. You need to put the email where it belongs. And the storage where it belongs. And the SQL where it belongs. And so forth.


Introducing the Zynstra Cloud Appliance

For several months I've been working with a British company called Zynstra with regard to their partner advisory panel. Zynstra has developed a great substitute for SBS. Not a replacement. A 21st Century substitute.

On Thursday (October 30), Harry Brelsford from SMB Nation presents the third webinar in his series on replacing SBS. His guest will be Rhett Ryder from Zynstra and Daniel Langton from TelcoMSP.

Join this webinar to find out about . . .
- Migrating customers from SBS/WS2003 to on-premises Hybrid Cloud IT as a service
- Using Office365 discussions to migrate to a Hybrid Cloud IT solution
- Meeting this challenge and much more with the Zynstra solution
- The TelcoMSP advantages and increasing your enterprise value

Zynstra's Cloud Appliance was the absolute hit of SMB Nation. Find out why. Sign up at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/991216729

This is my favorite new solution to sell where we used to sell SBS. Check it out Thursday.

:-)