SBS Licensing from a Partner Perspective - 5W50 Webcast on January 16th

Eric Ligman and myself will be presenting a 5W50 webcast on Licensing for the Small Business Specialist ... from a Partner Perspective on January 16th starting at 9 AM PDT. Join us http://www.mssmallbiz.com/training/

Confused about Microsoft Licensing for Small Businesses. Join the club! As everyone knows, no one knows licensing better than Eric Ligman! Join Eric, along with Tim Carney, a fellow Microsoft Small Business Specialist and a SBSC User Group Leader, for this 5W50 webcast where they will discuss the basics of Microsoft Licensing for the Small Business. They will answer these questions:
- When should I sell OEM, Retail, Open Value, Open Value Subscription, Open Value Company Wide, Open Business Licenses, Open Government and Open Volume?
- When and why should I promote Software Assurance?
- When and why should I promote “Spread Payments” over an “Up-Front Payment”?
- What do all of those abbreviations (OV, OVS, L, L+SA …) mean?
- What about SKU’s? How do I get the right SKUs? Are there any clear tools to use?
- Is there an upgrade SKU from Windows Small Business Server 2003 to...?
- Windows Small Business Server 2008 Premium Edition specifics:
o What Operating Systems can I run on the second server?
o Can I run SQL on the first server?
o How long can I run SQL 2005?
o What about Virtualization and Terminal Server?
o My client is interested in MOSS or Unified Messaging, can they still use SBS and if so, what licensing is needed?
By the end of this 5W50 webcast, we will have definitively answered your most important questions:
- Why should I even care about licensing?
- What’s in it for me (WIIFM)?
- How can licensing help my business in this tight economy?

SBS & EBS 2008 Premium - SQL & 2nd Server Downgrade Rights

Until December 31, 2009, Microsoft has increased the component compatibility of Windows Small Business Server 2008 and Windows Essential Business Server 2008 for maximum flexibility.

With SQL you have a choice to deploy one these products:

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard x64;
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard x86;
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard x64;
and, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Standard x86.

All four versions are being shipped as part of SBS 2008 Premium and EBS 2008 Premium until December 31, 2009, after which only the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Standard Editions will be included.

You also have the choice to deploy one the following as the second server:

Windows Server 2008 Standard x64;
Windows Server 2008 Standard x86;
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64;
and, Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x86.

Windows Server 2008 Standard (x86 and x64) are shipping as part of SBS 2008 Premium and EBS 2008 Premium, beginning on January 2, 2009, your partner can exercise the second server downgrade option for you by visiting the Solutions Pathway, as with the SQL downgrade the 2nd server downgrade is available until December 31, 2009.

Helping Microsoft Partners Deploy Windows SharePoint Services to Clients

This is not new news, just a repeat for those that did not get it the first five times. Erik Thorsell from Success Computer Consulting created a tool for Microsoft Partners that helps us deploy WSS and build a business around it. The toolkit can be found here.

SBS 2008 with Unified Messaging

If you were so inclined to install the Unified Messaging role in Exchange 2007 on a Windows Small Business Server 2008 then you should be aware that all Exchange 2007 server roles, except for the Unified Messaging role, are supported in a virtualization environment.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc794548.aspx