This means that your organization can no longer install and customize Exchange for your computers that exist within your own data center. Perhaps more importantly, unlike SBS, Essentials doesn’t support on-premise Exchange Server, Microsoft’s popular mail server and contact and calendar software. If your company expands past the 25-user limit, you can upgrade to the Standard Edition and maintain Essentials functionality and features for up to 75 users/workstations. While SBS supported 75 users/workstations, Essentials supports only 25 users and 50 workstations. SBS 2011 has been replaced with Windows Server 2012 Essentials, and organizations currently using SBS need to be aware of some significant differences between the two versions. In addition, Microsoft also did away with Windows Home Server, Enterprise and its High Performance Computing editions.

Last year, Microsoft announced that with its 2012 Windows Server offerings, it was discontinuing SBS and that SBS 2011 would be the last version of this traditional integrated server suite. For years, Microsoft’s Small Business Server has been a turnkey, streamlined way for organizations with 75 employees or less to manage their servers.

Microsoft small business server