Windows Essential Business Server Discontinued

Effective June 30, 2010, Microsoft will discontinue Windows Essential Business Server (EBS) 2008. Microsoft introduced EBS less than two years ago as a solution for midsize businesses that offered a turnkey infrastructure, including file and print service, Exchange messaging, and security. Although EBS targeted the estimated 1.2 million midsize businesses worldwide, customers were largely indifferent to the product and sales were disappointing. Microsoft will support customers who deployed EBS for the normal product life cycle, but customers may want to take advantage of a limited-time offer to acquire the individual EBS component products, which will continue to be available separately.

Essential Business Server

EBS included two editions, Standard and Premium. Standard delivered software for three x64 servers, called the Management, Messaging, and Security Servers. The Management Server hosted the EBS administration console and provided file and print services using Windows Server 2008 Standard edition. It also provided network infrastructure services (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol and Domain Name System) and served as a primary domain controller. The Management Server also ran System Center Essentials 2007, which provided software distribution and updating and system monitoring and management. The Messaging Server ran Exchange Server 2007 Standard and the Forefront Protection for Exchange Server malware protection product, and also served as a secondary domain controller. The Security Server ran Forefront Threat Management Gateway for firewall protection. EBS Premium Edition added a fourth server running SQL Server 2008.