Microsoft will announce the first release candidate for its small business edition of Windows Server 2003 in June, officials said at a meeting here with CRN.
Microsoft"s Small Business Server 2003, which will incorporate Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services, is going to be promoted heavily for its ease-of-deployment capabilities and enhanced remote user features, officials said at the Windows Server 2003 launch in San Francisco on Thursday.
The small business server, considered to be the fifth version of Windows Server 2003, is expected to ship by the end of September. At the launch, Microsoft officials pointed to the latest shipping date as four to five months after Windows Server 2003 ships. Windows Server 2003 ships this week. The family consist of web, standard, enterprise, datacenter and small business editions.
For instance, the out-of-the-box experience for creating portals and configuring remote connections will be easier for many small businesses that have mobile workforces and telecommuters.
Microsoft confirmed that it is still in discussions about whether or not to include SQL Server and Internet Security & Accelerator (ISA) security server in the next generation server.