Small Business Server Upgrade North Pole AK

“Life with your computer server would be easy if you were the only user it ever knew, and if your business didn’t change and grow. But as your company takes on new dimensions and staff, licensing new uses — and users — is an essential part.

This can be daunting for a lot of startups. The only thing many people like less than computer hardware is computer software. And licensing is all about regulating access to the software that makes your company hum.

Here’s how to anticipate the complexities of user licenses and stay ahead of the game:

Understand the basics

When you buy operating system (OS) software for your personal computer, such as Windows, you’re also buying a license to use it, and have to register it with the designer (Microsoft). The same goes for you and anyone else who uses your server.

You can buy servers from Dell (a StartupNation sponsor) and others with the OS software already installed and licenses ready to go. One of Dell’s pre-installed offerings is Microsoft Small Business Server software , which includes licenses for several users and offers five-packs of additional licenses you’ll need as you grow.

“Until you get pretty big, for the most part licensing can go smoothly because you’re using arrangements like these we have with OEMs,” says Leland Means, director of small-business enterprise marketing for Dell. “We pre-test, pre-load, and pre-configure the operating system onto the server you buy so you’re ready to go.”

Author: The Sloan Brothers

Copyright 2009 StartupNation, LLC

Click here to read more from StartupNation