At Cybertel, our servers are all Microsoft. That’s what we bought into when we first bought them, that’s what we’re stuck with at the moment.
Now, we have the (old) 4.0 version of Windows Server, and Microsoft Exchange email server (…why it’s not Outlook server, I don’t know, that’s a whole other rant…) and that’s what our “intranet” is running on. This is bundled into a package called Small Business Server, which also includes SQL server. Now, separately we’ve bought Windows 2000 server and SQL Server 2000, and that’s what our Web and Database servers are running on.
We need a new copy of the intranet software. Windows NT 4.0 seems to run okay, but user management is bizarre in that got-to-love-Microsoft way that’s gotten only somewhat better in 2000; and figuring out the old version of Exchange…oi vey. So we’re here, cash in hand despite the fact that we’re broke, to upgrade to Windows 2000/Exchange 2000.
Good luck trying to buy this. There are about a dozen part numbers, none of which with a reasonable explanation of what you’re buying.
The upgrade to SBS appears to be the cheapest way to go at about $700, or $900, depending on whether you want to get screwed a little, now or a lot, later. You get to choose between standard (over-)priced software, but next time you want an upgrade you have to pay full (over-)price AGAIN; and “upgrade advantage” where you pay MORE now but you actually get upgrades for the next year or two. And of course you’re never buying Microsoft upgrades for the new features, but for the bug fixes. I swear it’s a lot easier to steal Microsoft software than it is to purchase it legitimately.
Why not just move to Linux, or (as I’d rather) Mac OSX Server? Linux is free, Mac OSX server is $500 for a 10-user licence, $899 with an unlimited licence, and reasonable upgrade prices. Sounds like a good idea to me – but then it would become my responsibility. Like the “Moose turd pie” story – whoever complains, they get to be the cook.