With the announcement that Microsoft is launching SBS 2008 on November 12, 2008 it might be a good time to address a few house cleaning items you will need to get in order if you are planning this upgrade.
If you are currently using SBS 2003 Premium, and using Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004 (ISA 2004) as your firewall (ISA 2004 is included in the premium version), there is one very important difference in SBS 2008. ISA is not included any longer. What does this mean to companies upgrading? Simply put, you no longer have a firewall. You will have to purchase either a hardware or software based firewall to protect your data.
There are pros and cons of both types of firewalls, and I will discuss some differences in a later post. For now, companies planning their upgrade should either start researching firewall solutions that fit their needs, or begin discussions with their IT services provider on the subject. If you contact your provider, and they have no idea what you are talking about, I would run, not walk, out of that relationship. I recommend you choose a Microsoft Small Business Specialist, commonly referred to in the industry with the designation SBSC. These Microsoft partners have gone through testing that proves their knowlege of Microsoft server products in geneal, and Microsoft Small Business Server in particular. They will have specific recommendations on this subject.
To Your Success,
Tim