Benefit

Simplified Branch Office Server Management

Extends connectivity and reliability to and from the branch office while controlling the total cost of ownership of branch IT infrastructure.

• More centralized management. Provides centralized management tools for file and print functions.
• Reduced remote administration. Minimizes local administration and local back up.
• Better WAN efficiencies. Enables faster data replication over wide area networks.

Extends value of Active Directory deployments to facilitate secure access across organizational and platform boundaries, to allow organizations to manage a single identity across partner, Web, and UNIX applications.

• Greater user efficiency. Fewer user passwords, for both internal and partner-hosted web applications, through extranet Single Sign-On and identity federation.
• Enhanced IT efficiency. Centralized administration of extranet application access, fewer password resets, and the ability to delegate user management to trusted partners.
• Better security. Automated “shut off” of extranet access based on disabling a user’s Active Directory account.
• Better regulatory compliance. Log user access to partner applications in external security domains.
• Improved interoperability with heterogeneous systems. Cross-platform Web Single Sign-On and identity federation using Web Services interoperability specifications and tools to manage and dynamically update user accounts and passwords across Windows and UNIX systems using Network Information Service (NIS). Also performs automatic synchronization of passwords between Windows and UNIX operating systems.

Reduced Storage Management Costs

Provides better control over storage setup and lower management costs due to improved storage management features.

• Better storage utilization. Provides storage utilization information through detailed storage reports.
• Better quota management. Monitors and controls disk space usage with directory quotas.
• Better file screening. Limits types of files allowed on servers with file screening.
• Simpler SAN configuration. Easily configures and provisions storage area networks (SANs).

Better performing web platform. Latest 64-bit and .NET technologies double the Web performance.

• Windows SharePoint Services delivers a cost-effective collaboration solution
  that can be deployed, configured, and managed quickly.
• ASP.NET enables fast development of rich, Dynamic Systems Initiative-ready Web Services and applications using the .NET Framework.
• IIS 6.0 delivers a more secure, high-performance Web server.
• x64 support enables better performance at lower cost.

Seamless UNIX/Windows Interoperability

Integrate UNIX and Windows systems and leverage existing IT skills using the components included in Windows Server 2003 R2.

• Enable Cross Platform Management. UNIX administrators can manage both UNIX and Windows systems using many
  tools, utilities and scripts that you are using today with the Utilities and SDK Web Download, which includes shells and SVR-5 utilities. Windows administrators can use familiar Windows commands to
  manage UNIX systems, users, permissions and passwords.
• Integrate UNIX Applications. The Sub-system for UNIX-based Applications (SUA), is a source-compatibility subsystem for compiling and running custom UNIX-based applications on Windows Server 2003 R2. SUA allows for some
  parts of a UNIX application to be run on Windows, for instance building a Windows-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) for an existing UNIX-based application.
• Migrate UNIX Applications. SUA enables the phased migration of UNIX-based applications by allowing most custom applications to be re-compiled and run natively on Windows.
  Applications can be converted or re-written one component at a time,
  without significant end-user downtime or extensive cut-over times.