* Microsoft defines a new midsize market
I poked a little fun at Microsoft last month (see “Microsoft Centro: Is it right for you?”) when I looked at the company’s entry into the midsize market as opposed to the small business/home business and enterprise markets. In particular, I questioned the definition the company used: A small business was 25 or fewer PCs, an enterprise was more than 500 PCs, and everything in between was “midsize.”
As it turns out, there’s more to the story than was apparent at that time.
Microsoft has defined a new midsize market, but it hasn’t tried to make it a “one-size fits all” market. A quick visit to the new Microsoft Midsize Business IT Center shows that, in fact, Redmond segments the less-than-enterprise-sized market into three fractions: 25 to 50 PCs, 51 to 250 PCs and 251 to 500 PCs. You might call those fractions small to midsize, mid- to midsize and large to midsize. You might. Microsoft didn’t, and neither will I, but you might. Not only does Microsoft differentiate these three sizes, but it also provides guides and “solutions” tailored to each level.
For the lower end, this includes:
* Solutions based on Microsoft Small Business Server 2003.
* Security guidelines for small businesses.
* Small IT solution for mobility.
The mid-level program includes:
* Desktop deployment solutions.
* Security and patch management guidance.
* Suggestions for implementing messaging, collaboration and print services.
Suggestions for the biggest mid-level installations include:
* Security, anti-virus, and back-up and recovery guides.
* Desktop deployment solutions.
* Application-compatibility testing and mitigation guides.
There’s also a lot more information organized for everyone who deals with 500 PCs or fewer, which can be very useful even if your network is simply a small part of some larger installation.
When Microsoft introduced this mid-market initiative at last month’s Business Summit 2005 conference, CEO Steve Ballmer said: “The midmarket customer is the least well-served customer across a spectrum of people involved in IT today. They are challenged in dealing with complexity and scale, and need to find solutions that are very appropriate to their needs.” It looks like Microsoft is going to do its best to provide the products and guidance necessary to help the midmarket IT manager get the job done.
