"Welcome to the Microsoft Branch Office Savings Calculator"

I have a client which is looking at the ROI for deploying servers to their branch office. Right now PCs/Laptop and even VoIP phones from the branch office connects back to servers and Call Manager in the HQ.

After doing a POC for a Branch Office Scenario, the high management did not approve the purchase of servers for the branch office, which happen to be a vessel. :)

I have been told by the technical manager to justify the branch office scenario using some ROI tool.
Searching around and even trying to do my own, i found this tool: The Microsoft Branch Office Savings Calculator. https://roianalyst.alinean.com/branch/launch.html
"The Branch Office Savings Calculator was developed independently by leading IT research firm IDC, and leading ROI tool developer Alinean, Inc. "

Within 30 min i had a cool 87 page reports and the summary one of 9 pages. i think with some more thing customizing my data, i could have some i could hand over to my client and the senior management.

Give it a try if you have a similar scenario.

Did you know about the Windows 2008 Server Core Configurator?

Windows 2008 Server Core Configurator
http://www.codeplex.com/CoreConfig

hotfixes and updates on Vista and Windows 2008

Description of how hotfixes and updates are managed after you upgrade to a service pack in Windows Vista and in Windows Server 2008:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=951181

Presenting at Server 2008 Launch Event.

http://www.microsoft.com/singapore/heroeshappenhere/default.mspx

Track 3: Windows Server 2008 Security & Compliance
Windows Server 2008 offers rich capabilities for securing your IT Infrastructure and proving tools to ease with compliance mandates. This session will discuss the Windows security and compliance features such as Network Access Protection, Right Management Services, and Active Directory Federation Service. subsystem, why auditing is important and how to configure an audit policy updated Windows Server 2008 event subsystem.

I will be presenting with Matthew Johnston, from Quest Software.

Sarbjit Singh Gill

TechEd Video: IIS7 Hosting and Server Core

A new video has been posted up on the Virtual TechEd site called the IIS7 Customer Experience, featuring Mario Juarez, Eric Woersching, Jess Coburn and Carlos Caneja. WMV Video: IIS7 Customer Experience ...
http://blogs.iis.net/bills/archive/2007/06/15/teched-video-iis7-hosting-and-server-core.aspx

Understand the Server Core Option for Installing Windows Server 2008

The Server Core installation option of the Windows Server 2008 operating system is a new option for installing Windows Server 2008. A Server Core installation provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles that reduces the maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=7004421

Windows Server 2008: A Technical Overview

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6951833
Learn about the new features and functionality of Windows Server 2008. Windows Server 2008 provides powerful improvements to networking, advanced security features, remote application access, centralized server role management, performance and reliability monitoring tools, failover clustering, deployment, and the file system.