Small Business Suite 6 Complete package

...is a comprehensive suite of small business tools designed to assist communication and provide network computer users with easy access to centrally resourced, computer network based, applicaations, tools and information, both locally and/or via the Internet.

It is not something that the average home user would normally be interested in, but if you run a small business, and need to store information, share networked resources and require ...
...users.

Novell® Small Business Suite 6 (SBS6) is surely the most profoundly extensive Personal Computer Network Suite available today. It is a huge package at a very reasonable price, and I can do nothing but recommend it to any business with less than 50 network users.

For those with larger organisations, each component is available separately, so you won't have to buy components you don`t require. But for those with ... more

WOW - Novell have just made this great package absolutely free. You can get it at http://www.ramms.co.uk/novell.htm perfectly legally.

The free version offers 5 concurrent user & 2 server licences. There is an expansion pack, which adds a further 5 concurrent users and enables more user licences to be added, but adding this is still cheaper than a standard 10 user licence.

Let me explain that this is a comprehensive suite of small business tools designed to assist communication and provide network computer users with easy access to centrally resourced, computer network based, applicaations, tools and information, both locally and/or via the Internet.

It is not something that the average home user would normally be interested in, but if you run a small business, and need to store information, share networked resources and require comprehensive and flexible retrieval systems, then you should be more than just considering this product. Particularly if you have more than 3 network users.

Novell® Small Business Suite 6 (SBS6) is surely the most profoundly extensive Personal Computer Network Suite available today. It is a huge package at a very reasonable price, and I can do nothing but recommend it to any business with less than 50 network users.

For those with larger organisations, each component is available separately, so you won't have to buy components you don`t require. But for those with less than 50 users, the price and flexibility cannot be beaten.

In my opinion it runs not just rings, but body sized hoops round Microsoft's Small Business solution. NSBS6 is more extensive and much easier to both implement and manage on a daily basis.

NSBS6 actually consists of: -

NetWare 6 - the base Network Operating System - an Internet enabled, comprehensive network server operating system & management tool that provides the following benefits for Users & Network Managers: -

- iFolder - Internet browser accessible directories.
- iPrint - Browser accessible printers.
- WebAccess - Internet/Intranet enablement.
- NetDrive - Enables your applications over the Internet.
- NetWare Remote Manager - provides a way for technicians to service the system remotely, if required.
- Native file access for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX.
- iMonitor - A Web-based NetWare management tool.
- Novell eDirectory - the world's most powerful directory service.
- Sbackup - a basic backup solution, which can provide the background functionality for a more comprehensive backup system, such as ARCserve.

GroupWise 6 - Novell's full-featured Groupware solution delivers a comprehensive, integrated set of communication and collaboration tools including:

- eMail
- Personal Information Manager
- Scheduling & Calendar.
- Resource & document management.
- Wireless access, for GPRS enabled PDAs & mobile telephones.
- Smart caching.
- System health monitoring.
- Supports multiple forms of encryption.
- Native support for e-mail and other standards.
- Integration with Novell eDirectory.
- Third party products available for full professional contact management.
- Third party PDA integration products available

ZenWorks for Desktops 3.2 - A policy-based management tool that simplifies network administration, including:

- Workstation imaging.
- Workstation remote control.
- Policy and profile management and reporting.
- Remote hard and software inventory & information gathering.
- Centrally administered application imaging, distribution and management.
- Printer configuration from a central location.
- Remote help-desk utilities.

BorderManager Enterprise Edition 3.6 - Protects the borders to your business, both of which need protecting with powerful firewall services. This powerful system includes: -

- Firewall Services.
- Proxy & Caching.
- Authentication Services.
- Virtual Private Network Services.

Other products included in the box include:

Pervasive SQL 2000i
An SQL Database server.

Apache WebServer
The most popular webserver around.

Tomcat Java Application Server.

Tobit FaxWare
A fax send/receive & management system.

FatPipe Internet
A solution that helps speed up Internet access.

VirusScan & NetShield (6 month licence to use including updates)
A suite of Anti-Virus solutions for both servers and desktops.

Managing this huge suite is simplicity itself. There are at least three easy to use and understand management tools: -

NEAT
A simple setup and administration tool specifically for Small Business Suite, automating many tasks that might be more difficult with other tools, making it easier for smaller businesses to handle.

ConsoleOne
A Java based administration tool for more complex tasks. This is available from both workstations & server consoles.

NetWare Administrator
A complete and extensive workstation driven administration program.

Possibilities & Potential

Consider for yourself the potential of installing Novell's Small Business Suite 6 & ADSL at your office premises, and dial-up or xDSL Internet access for your employees, especially those who would find it: -

- More convenient to work at home, say valued staff members with young families.
- Difficult coming back into the office each day, after being on the road all day.
- Easier to take some work home.
- On-Call situations.

You might need some of your workforce to work from home, when: -

- Office space is getting tight
- You want to reduce your expenditure on office space
- Your business structure makes it advantageous not to bring your staff to an office each day
- Transport problems, such as fuel shortages, road congestion, public transport problems, holidays, national emergencies, etc.

How about remote or mobile workers? You can offer better integration for them into your business structure. Enabling 24/7 access to the company`s virtual and physical resources.

All remote users would be able to: -

- Transfer data on to the company`s systems.
- Collect their emails and tasks.
- Book a conference room in the office.
- Arrange accommodation for visitors attending the meetings.
- Edit today`s sales figures in the usual Word, Excel or Access document.
- Check catalogues and schematics.
- Instruct a production line to make more widgets.
- Take & place orders.
- The possibilities are almost endless.

How about making some of these facilities available to trading partners, or even using them to access your trading partners facilities?

You might think that all this flexibility must mean a fortune in support costs, but the whole point is to keep support costs to an absolute minimum. I have seen NetWare servers that stay up and running without intervention for years. That kind of reliability simply isn't common.

Novell has millions of NetWare installations in businesses all over the World. They aren't a small business trying to muscle in on Microsoft's success, quite the opposite. Microsoft has been trying to imitate Novell's technology for many years, and still hasn't succeeded. Small Business Suite 6 brings a tremendous opportunity for smaller businesses to bring a massive sea change in the functionality of their Computer Networks. Novell were the first company to bring networking to personal computers.

GroupWise, the GroupWare product, for instance, simply does not suffer from the kind of Virus or Trojan attack that Microsoft Exchange can. On average Exchange suffers from two weeks downtime a year, compared to GroupWise's none. Apart from it's own inherent stability, GroupWise simply doesn't have the hooks that virus and trojan writers need to attack it!

Successful configuration of all the elements would probably require making full use of both the server licences. BorderManager is so powerful and resource hungry that, in all but the very smallest of organisations, could it be run reliably along with the other elements. But that's why Novell have included the second licence.

Of course, this sort of comprehensive suite shouldn't really be self installed. In my view it really is necessary to employ or contract an experienced professional to make the most of it. Having said that, a switched on implementor shouldn't need to take more than a couple of days depending upon how much you want done.

Rob Anthony 

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