Exchange Server
Email is a vital aspect of business communications and Microsoft Exchange Server combines a variety of beneficial services. It is a central database to store email, contacts and calendar information as well as enabling email-over-the-internet and push-email to mobile devices e.g. Apple iPhone. It can also be a useful repository for shared information such as a company contact list or holiday calendar.
Microsoft Outlook is included to give users comprehensive access to all of their information. For notebook users Outlook data can be cached so that this information can be permanently available, even when offsite.
Windows Terminal Server
As more businesses want their roaming users to have access to information just as if they were in the office a type of server known as 'thin-client' has become popular. Microsoft's version is called Terminal Server and can make important company applications e.g. accounts or ERP packages securely available through the internet.
Furthermore the data is stored on the business network and never leaves the premises which makes the loss of a laptop less of a security worry and of course all communications are encrypted. The remote desktop software which links the PC to the Terminal Server is available for free from Microsoft and as all of the processing is done on the Terminal Server using its own resources less powerful machines can be reused as remote terminals.
SQL Server
Many business applications use a database to store their information. Some products use their own but many use products such as Microsoft's SQL Server (pronounced 'sequel server'). It is scalable, supportable and upgradeable.
ISA Server
Sometimes a Windows Server or Windows Small Business Server is used as a gateway between your network and the public internet. If so the server will need to block malicious network traffic e.g. network probes but yet allow legitimate activity, such as Windows updates. This is the job of a firewall and Microsoft ISA Server turns your server into a rules based firewall and network security server.
As with all security devices ISA Server is designed to be pessimistic about network activity and therefore a specialist is required to configure the product successfully. Pedmore Computer Services have experience with all versions of ISA Server.
Microsoft Windows Essentials Server
For networks up to 75 users Microsoft's Windows Essentials Server provides an affordable Windows server platform designed around the needs of small and medium sized companies. It can be configured alongside Exchange server to replace most of the functionality of the recently departed Small Business Server product. Please refer to our Microsoft Small Business Server page for more detailed information.