Windows Home Server For Small Businesses

Windows Home Server has been around for a couple of years now, and while it is seen by many as something of a niche product, it is often overlooked as a solution that is of use to home consumers only.  Naturally this is hardly surprising given that WHS has the stigma of the word Home in its name, but when looking at its features it is perfectly suited for a small business that isn’t looking to upgrade to full server product such as Small Business Server.

The reason for my writing about this?  I have been coming into contact with customers lately who are running a small business from home with a couple of PCs and no need for a stand alone server such as SBS or even the new Windows Foundation Server.  They store documents locally or on a simple NAS box, perhaps sharing them out between users.  The PCs and data are backed up to either a NAS box or a USB hard drive using a product such as Acronis True Image, or even Windows Backup.  This configuration works just fine for them, they don’t have a large amount of money to outlay on hardware and software and they are happy to do things this way.  Of course we don’t always agree with the way our customers do things, but the IT solution should always be designed around the customers wishes and their budget.

My interest in WHS as a business solution has been piqued this week by the news that HP has started to sell its superb MediaSmart Server products here in the UK again.  HP are the largest manufacturer to truly embrace the WHS platform, but the second generation of units was not made available to us.  Only a single model has been released here though, the MediaSmart EX490 coming in with 2Gb of memory and 1Tb of disk storage (expandable of course, by adding more drives).

But what exactly does WHS do?  It is essentially a storage device designed to sit on your network and store all of your data (photos, documents, music, etc) and manage all of your connected PCs.
Each PC on your network running either Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 connects to WHS via a piece of connector software and from there it is monitored and backed up.

Backup is a key feature in WHS which takes away the headache of keeping your backups monitored.  It is a set and forget solution, and each computer is backed up to the server each night (or whenever you choose to schedule it).  WHS backup overrides the default Windows Backup program, and restoring files or even an entire PC is as simple as boiling the kettle while it does so.

What makes the HP boxes so special is that HP supplies them with their own custom software which far expands the default functionality of the WHS product.  I mentioned all of your PCs connect to WHS, and with the enhancements HP have made, Mac computers are also supported.  Full system backups from Time Machine are supported by the MediaSmart server allow for file or complete system restores should the need arise.

Naturally as the product is primarily designed for multiple computers on a home network, many of the features of the HP box are designed for home users such as media collection, iTunes server, streaming of audio and video, iPod and iPhone streaming support, etc.  Hardly hardcore applications required for a business I will admit, but handy ones to have.

Where I feel the HP WHS box does appeal is in its price.  The EX490 has a UK RRP of £430, and I believe it is certainly worth considering for the small business customer who isn’t looking for all the bells and whistles that an SBS or EBS server solution provides.

For more information on the HP WHS box I suggest reading Paul Thurrott’s excellent review at the SuperSite for Windows.  And of course, feel free to contact us if you are considering an installing of WHS and require some assistance.

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