Section Blog  Newsflash 2 

Most small businesses, once they have more than a couple of PCs, should consider installing a server.  A server can provide a central file sharing resource which is easier to back up than several PCs, as well as enabling printer sharing, central email resource and other advantages, not least of which is a Database Server.

 The commonest route most small & medium business take is to install Microsoft Windows Server and MS SQL-Server.  Often this is because a) they only know of Microsoft, and b) all the PC software is Microsoft (e.g.. MS-Office)

Myth:  - "I have to have a Microsoft Server because my PCs are all Windows"

Reality: = Unless you specifically run MS software on the server, all the server does is provide central file and printer resource - this is largely independent of the operating system.  Most internet web servers, for example, are Linux systems.

Myth: - "Microsoft Server Systems are easier to setup and maintain,  Linux is for geeks, and is nothing like Windows"

Reality = MS Servers are not so easy to set up and maintain, unless you are a trained professional.  Linux servers are no more difficult or complex, and most now come with a very familiar windows-style graphical user interface.

And perhaps the most persuasive argument of all - the table below gives a comparative illustration of  MIS vs Linux server costs.

Price comparison between Microsoft SQL and MySQL based database computer systems.

Product		5 users	10 users	25 users	Linux
HP ProLiant ML115 G5		£290.30	£290.30	£290.30	£290.30
Operating system	Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard	£494.91	£587.23	£864.19	£0 (Ubuntu Server 64bit operating system)
Database system	SQL Server 2008 Standard	£759.95	£2130.50	£5194.28	£0 (MySQL Server)
System setup		£500	£500	£1000	£500
Total		£2045.16	£3508.03	£7348.77	£790.30

For this example we chose the HP entry-level ProLiant ML115 G5 Server - Opteron 1354 QC 2.2GHz / 1GB / NHP SATA 160GB.

Microsoft prices were taken from typical supplier end-user prices.  Linux and MysSQL are 'open source' software, essentially a lot of it is free of charge or low cost, but you often pay support and/or maintenance fees.