Microsoft explains SBS end-of-life decision

Vendor claims cloud-based Server Essentials offers lower upfront costs while delivering more flexibility

Microsoft has sought to explain is decision to axe its Small Business Server (SBS) product, claiming its de facto replacement Windows Server 2012 Essentials "offers lower upfront acquisition and deployment costs".

As reported by ChannelWeb yesterday, SBS is entering the end-of-life process and will be available through the channel only until the end of June next year. The product will go through the OEM channel until the end of 2013.

Partners have already voiced their vexation with the decision, and Microsoft once again stands accused of forcing partners and end users towards the cloud. But, in a blog post by David Fabritius from Windows Server Marketing, the software giant has stressed the benefits for SMBs of investing in Server Essentials.

"[It] has been designed to give you the flexibility to choose which applications and services run on-premise and which run in the cloud," he writes. "In contrast to Windows SBS Standard, Essentials offers lower upfront acquisition and deployment costs."

Fabritius goes on to explain that end users will benefit from using cloud-based messaging and can either subscribe to Office 365 or a hosted Exchange service. For customers wishing to retain a full on-premise solution, they can run Exchange on a separate server alongside Essentials, he adds.

Essentials is designed to serve customers with up to 25 users and 50 devices. End users who find themselves needing to scale up can buy Windows Server 2012 Standard, thus "removing the maximum user and device limits while retaining all your data and configuration settings".

The Microsoft man pitches the announcement as "a significant milestone for Windows SBS", outlining that it speaks to the vendor's dedication to developing cost-effective cloud solutions for SMBs.

"By making Essentials a full-fledged member of the Windows Server family, we are reaffirming our commitment to delivering a flexible, cloud-enabled server platform that is designed and priced for small businesses and the partners that serve them," he writes.

"Formalising Essentials as a core edition of Windows Server 2012 will more clearly communicate how it fits into the Windows Server family and give it more visibility as a product."