Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 Blueprint (Harry Brelsford's SMB)
Many thousands of you are running SBS, and this new book is going to save you a lot of time and headache. I asked Laura DiDio to do a review and here it is: If your organization is a small or mid-sized business (SMB) with one-to-200 employees in your organization - and 55% of you reading this newsletter fall into that category - and you're running Windows, then the "Small Business Server 2008 Blueprint" book is written for you. It's no secret that IT departments have been hit hard by the ongoing economic downturn. Many of you are not just running a lean, mean organization; it's downright skeletal. There's little or no money for new hires or budget to train and re-certify your existing staff. And yet, many of you have received mandates from upper management telling you to migrate to new platforms. The Small Business Server 2008 Blueprint, co-authored by Philip Elder and Harry Brelsford, offers real-world practical, tactical tips for upgrading and managing Windows SBS 2008, its applications including Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, SQL Server 2008, Windows SharePoint Services, Office Live as well as a wide variety of third party security solutions. It also delivers pro-active advice on how to centrally control and manage Windows Vista and Windows XP desktops. The book is designed for introductory and intermediate network admins. It provides simple, easy-to-follow structured deployment methodologies and step-by-step procedures. Both Elder and Brelsford are experienced, veteran SMB consultants. And they pull no punches in this book. The Small Business Server 2008 Blueprint is just that: it's written with a strong third party viewpoint and offers a detailed overview of the strengths, weaknesses and foibles of all of the various SBS 2008 applications, how to avoid specific configuration and upgrade mistakes and maximize your network uptime, reliability and security.  The authors provide a broad perspective on the SBS 2008 ecosystem conversation, which in turn assists you, the network administrator in making the technical decisions which best suit your network environment, particularly with respect to third party security, managed services and monitoring solutions. If your budget has been cut and there's no money to re-certify your staff, this book is the next best thing. --WServerNews[tm] Electronic Newsletter, Published by Sunbelt Software