portlandia IT

The small business server community is the focus of portlandia IT, which entails researching products and applications that best suit their needs.

Microsoft has also recognized the needs of the small business community and has been producing a product specifically for this market since the late ’90s. This product is called the Windows Small Business Server and it began with SBS 4.0.

Small Business Server 2011 is a significant improvement over past versions of the server platform:

1. Small Business Server 2011 is 64 bit, bases on Windows Server 2008 R2
2. The email server is Exchange 2010
3. Incorporates SharePoint Foundation 2010
4. Uses Windows Server Update Services to centrally manage update deployment to server and end-user PCs
5. Easy to manage Central Console

Most of Small Business Server 2011 software I have installed, the 75 user limit is not an issue. The main problem with prior versions of SBS was the mail store size limit.

SBS 2003 used Exchange 2003 Standard and it has a mail store limitation of 75 GB. I found that even small shops were soon reaching that threshold.

With the introduction of Small Business Server 2008 and Exchange 2007, thankfully that limitation is gone.

SBS 2011 is improved upon by the addition of Microsoft Exchange 2010 and is also not limited.

There are several things to consider when looking at adding to or upgrading your existing server environment.

Given the proper circumstances, offices that need a server to manage users, user data, and want access to email in-house, the Small Business Server 2011 makes a good fit.

It is easy to manage, easy to back up and given the right hardware is very robust.

There are times when a single server will not adequately service the needs of an office, when such times arise, Microsoft has available the Small Business Server 2011 Premium Add-on. This adds a second Server 2008 R2 license and a SQL server to use with the existing Small Business Server 2011.

Portlandia IT, LLC is a Portland, OR business computer and network servicing organization with business and some residential customers throughout the Portland Oregon, Vancouver Washington, and greater Portland Oregon metropolitan areas. Portlandia has been in business since April 2011 and our principles have been working in the industry since 1994 and earlier.

We work on-call at your site and repair a wide range of technological problems, design, build and maintain industry standard small to medium sized computer networks (from 2 to 100 users) and computers, specializing in Microsoft Windows and some Linux/UNIX products. We install and service firewalls (PIX, ASA, and Untangle), anti-spam filtering systems, VPN’s, Cisco routers, and wireless networks, and can assist you with all your computer needs.

We have project managed colocation installs from the antistatic flooring to the generator to the roof HVAC units, and managed large plant ethernet cabling and fiber installs. Older, obsolete systems like RS232, Thinnet, and Token Ring that would send most consultants running for the hills don’t scare us!

We can assist you to analyze your phone bills and Internet connectivity, select a Voice over IP phone system for your business, or sell you a HP Proliant server or desktop computer system. We also can help you to consolidate your servers through virtualization. We can sell you the complete hardware and software for a turnkey network or we can provide you with direction in case you want to specify, select and purchase the equipment yourself. We maintain a small inventory of inexpensive parts so that your IT projects do not lose days of implementation time waiting for a cheap connector or cable to be sourced.

In addition to hourly support we also have flat rate packaged support options for price-conscious organizations.

Check out our Business Computing Guides for useful networking and computing help for business owners.

Call us at 503-690-6800 or e-mail us for a no-charge evaluation of your business computing needs!