It also can connect with your client systems through a simple Launchpad download that lets users log in and access different aspects of Windows Home Server 2011, based on the permissions assigned. Easy Duplicate Finder, from the company of the same name, was cheap and worked perfectly, saving hundreds of gigabytes of space.)īut the Windows Home Server 2011 is not just a NAS box. (Note: When I merged all those disks into the disk that came with Windows Home Server 2011, I needed to deduplicate at the same time. And if I still want an off-site copy, I can plug in an external disk when I choose or store data in the cloud from Windows Home Server 2011. And knowing that one disk is backed up to another is even better.
So, having a single box with all that data is really nice. But now I have five of these disks with multiple copies of the same data.
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Every once in a while I update an external disk for off-site backup.
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That amount of storage is plenty for storing data for all sorts of small businesses, such as digital photographers or videographers, doctors' and dentists' offices with high-res imagery, law firms, online-only software development shops, and architectural firms.įrom my own experience running a software development shop, I find that I take often copy my data to external disks. The box I'm working with has two 1.5TB disks the first disk is set up for storage, and the second one backs up the first disk. On the surface, an 圆4 PC running the 64-bit-only Windows Home Server looks like a NAS (network-attached storage) device. But after working with it for a few weeks, I have come to appreciate that it has all that a small business would need as well.Ĭonsider this: Do you have 10 or fewer users? Do you have a need for an identity management system like Active Directory? (If you are not using Active Directory already, the answer is probably no.) Do you currently use hosted email or other hosted services, such as Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) or Google Apps? Do you have a need - perhaps one you've been neglecting - to monitor and back up your desktop systems? If you answer no to the Active Directory question and yes to the other three, consider getting Windows Home Server 2011. At first my focus was on the home environment, how a 64-bit PC with this server OS would help a home of several systems and users to function a bit better. I've been given the chance to play with the RTM of Windows Home Server 2011 OS.