Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server 4.5 to be launched at Computer Faire

The next release of MicrosoftBackOffice Small Business Server 4.5, the network solution designed specifically to address the needs of companies with 50 or fewer workstations, will be launched at Computer Faire 99. This latest version is expected to do very well in South Africa, where the majority of companies fall into this category.

Microsoft BackOffice Small Business Server 4.5 is easy to install, manage, and use, and presents technology providers, consultants, and resellers with compelling sales opportunities, both as an off-the-shelf product and as a platform for custom solutions.

"Microsoft Small Business Server 4.5 includes significant upgrades to many of the applications in the suite which provide small businesses with improved productivity," said Ian Hatton, product manager at Microsoft South Africa. "It also delivers a new set of tools and product functionality designed specifically for technology providers.

To give our Small Business Server 4.0 customers several very important and compelling benefits, such as fast, secure Internet access and full Y2K compliance, the version upgrade from Small Business Server 4.0 to 4.5 will be offered at no cost. We strongly encourage all of our existing customers to plan to take advantage of this offer by working with their technology provider on the upgrade installation."

Microsoft Small Business Server 4.5 includes several new wizards and menus that make the product simpler than previous versions.

"A major drive for us when building this release was to reduce the total cost of ownership small companies experience. To do this we have implemented a number of new procedures and simplified existing ones all aimed at reducing support, administration and rollout costs," said Hatton.

Microsoft has also increased the maximum number of licensed client computers from 25 PCs to 50 PCs - making it a more cost-effective option than ever before for small to medium sized businesses.

Product Features

Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 provides a secure, reliable platform on which small businesses can easily share files, back up critical company information, share equipment such as printers and modems and reliably run business applications.

Microsoft Internet Information Server 4.0 is tightly integrated with Windows NT Server and designed to deliver a wide range of Internet and intranet server capabilities so that small businesses have all the tools they need to create powerful and professional Web sites.

Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 provides a powerful, secure relational database for running business applications. Users can now create multiple SQL 7.0 databases with a limit of 10GB per database.

Microsoft Exchange Server is an Internet mail and collaboration server that includes business solutions to help get customers connected and co-ordinated. It provides a solid foundation built on Internet and other open standards. Dynamic memory allocation offers increased performance.

Microsoft Outlook 2000 is a desktop information manager that helps users manage their messages, appointments, contacts and tasks, as well as track activities, open and view documents, and share information. Microsoft Fax Service Allows companies to communicate by fax more efficiently. Microsoft Fax Service enables users to fax right from their desktops and to manage incoming faxes centrally.

Microsoft Modem Sharing Service allows small businesses to share modems installed on the server. Eliminates the need for each workstation to have its own modem. Reduces waiting time for connections because the server automatically uses the next available modem in the pool to handle dial-in or dial-out requests. Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0 Provides a high performance, secure gateway to the Internet.

Microsoft FrontPage 98 is a Web site creation and management tool that makes it easy to create and manage professional-looking Web sites without programming. For more information please visit the Microsoft Web site at www.microsoft.com/southafrica