Timing ... everything is in the timing ... and SBS Open Value

There are moments ... then there are moments:

Windows Live ID: We're unable to complete your request

We are in the process of initializing an e-mail address for our new Open Value License Agreement that will have our Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium license plus Software Assurance and SBS User CALs on.

The above message is the one we received as we were going through the e-mail initialization request.

Now, given the time crunch we are under, and the fact that scheduling is a bust with baby #3 playing "hide and seek" with us ;), having anything choke on us while working on it can be a bit aggravating.

After the third attempt, we were finally able to log on to the Passport site, confirm our e-mail address, and setup the particulars for the security questions and the like.

As far as Open Value Licensing goes, please remember that there will be a significant price increase associated with the SBS 2003 Open Value product SKUs as of October 1, 2008.

So, if you have any client quotes out there or quotes being generated that may pass the end of the month before a decision is made, keep the cost difference in mind!

The reason we are securing SBS 2003 R2 Premium on an Open Value Agreement is because the value is absolutely awesome.

We will be licensing two of our three sites in this manner. Software Assurance (Official SBS Blog) will bring us:

• SBS 2008 Premium Edition (extra server license folks!)
• SQL 2008 Standard Edition
• SBS 2003 CALs on Premium = SBS 2008 Premium CALs
• Outlook 2007
• Entourage 2008 (yes, we are still using our iMac!)
• SharePoint Designer (replaces FrontPage)
• ISA 2006 + Win2K3 Std License until the release of TMG 2010.

And, the other reason for us to look to SBS Open Value: Microsoft Action Pack (click the Welcome Kits and Quarterly Update Kits link) will only contain SBS 2008 Standard Edition going forward.

While MAPS will have EBS 2008 Standard, we are currently not focused on that market yet ... and we need access to SBS 2008 Premium since most of our clients are or will be running Open Value Agreements for SBS 2003 R2 Premium with the need to configure SQL 2008 with their Line of Business Apps.

And, having the extra server license over and above the ones we already have is a bonus.

One thing we have found as we have grown as a company: We have become less and less dependent on MAPS for our actual software productivity licensing. While it is a requirement for the MSBS, our business needs and goals have developed to the point where we have needed to fine tune our licensing to the direction we are heading in. We will still utilize some of the MAPS licensed products, but for the most part we have gone independent.

Finally, our TechNet Plus subscription takes care of licensing any needed Microsoft Products for our lab testing with no time limits, client network mirrors in a lab setup, and the like. So, it looks as though we have our bases pretty much covered! :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.