Microsoft® Windows® Server 2003 Family of Operating Systems

In a Microsoft white paper detailing the results of a survey of 25 businesses running Windows Small Business Server 2003, virtually all the companies surveyed reported that deploying Windows Small Business Server 2003 led to dramatic gains in business value.^*

Value was expressed in terms of the ability of Windows Small Business Server 2003 to help small businesses protect and increase revenues and avoid and reduce costs. Further gains in business value were reflected by:

Increased responsiveness to customer needs and requirements Improved productivity through reduction in task work and increased output Additional time to focus on core business issues, and not on disruptions caused by IT infrastructure failures or security breaches

The survey revealed four key areas of benefit enabled by Windows Small Business Server 2003:

1. Ease of setup and operation of Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003

Windows Small Business Server 2003 was designed to make setup and operation a snap. Whether the companies surveyed had several technical people who could handle administrative duties in addition to their usual jobs or outsourced administration to a services organization, they found that administrative tasks have been greatly simplified. Windows Small Business Server 2003 includes management tools that administrators can use remotely. For end users, the product includes client tools that let users access features from connected desktops or from the Web.

2. Automatic protection of the IT infrastructure

Windows Small Business Server 2003 is built on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, the operating system that has increased available services by 275 percent while mitigating attacks against the server by 60 percent.^* Wizards simplify security settings and help to make sure that all the necessary security steps are taken. Windows Small Business Server 2003 includes an internal firewall and also supports external firewalls. In fact, Windows Small Business Server 2003 contains tools that help protect your business automatically.

The stability and security of Windows Small Business Server 2003 can lead to a reduction in IT issues, allowing for savings in IT support expenses. It can also reduce distractions precluding key employees from attending to core business issues.

3. Employees can perform more revenue-producing tasks

Windows Small Business Server 2003 comes loaded with dozens of productivity enhancement tools that enable employees to find and share documents easily, collaborate on projects, automate many routine tasks and access the workplace remotely. According to the Microsoft white paper, productivity gains represented 82 percent of the identified benefits of Windows Small Business Server 2003 among the survey businesses studied.^*

As just one example, Windows SharePoint^TM  Services, a preconfigured internal Web site solution included with Windows Small Business Server 2003, can serve as the central information repository for documents, contacts, tasks, discussions and more. It can help to vastly reduce the time users spend searching for and retrieving information. The ability to share documents electronically can facilitate customer inquiries and help your business to stay on top of its orders, with easy access to information and the ability to handle additional business from its customers.

4. Increased customer responsiveness

Windows Small Business Server 2003 is designed to enable small businesses to reach more customers and deliver better service to them. Improved customer responsiveness can help businesses retain existing revenue and generate new revenue. Increased customer responsiveness can result from better internal access to shared data and remote access/mobility.

By deploying SharePoint Services and developing a self-service collaborative environment between their customers, outside sales, and inside customer service reps, one business surveyed in the Microsoft white paper reported that it eliminated the need for its outside sales reps to handle replenishment and fulfillment transactions and reduced the time customer service representatives spend on fulfillment transactions by 30 to 40 percent.^* This translated into multiple benefits for the company and its customers. Customers' orders were now filled sooner, thus improving customer responsiveness, and the sales teams could focus on the larger, custom high-margin orders.

Click here to see which version of Microsoft Small Business Server is right for you.