Leopard Server is serious stuff

Sorry for another article about Leopard so soon. But with the Information Apple released on their upcoming OS there is a lot to talk about

One of the most underhyped new Apple products is OSX server. If you look hard enough, you can find a site with details on Leopard Server on Apples site. You won’t stumble upon it by accident. But if you’re running some kind of small business, especially if you run on Macs, you propably should. Here’s why:

• iCal & iCal Server are Apples answer to Microsofts Exchange. And they seem to be a good answer: You can share calendars, edit them collaboratively, use some sophisticated rights management, schedule meetings automatically, see who is busy, see when someones working houre are, etc. In short, it’s the collaborative calendar stuff that the Mac missed so much. It’s built into iCal and the Server is a CalDav server, which is an open standard. Apple happens to ship a CalDav Server in OSX Server that is also tied to the whole user management system.
• Wiki & Blogs: A huge part of corporate communication is 1:n information exchange. Sending mails around or having public folders is fine but far from ideal. Apple built Wikis and Blogs into their server. I haven’t looked at the Blogs closely, but I did look at the wikis, and they are the best WebApp I’ve seen from Apple so far. Users don’t need to learn some weird Wiki syntax but they have a very well designed WYSIWYG editing mode that I have yet to see in another wiki product.
• Instant Messaging: Having a corporate IM server that encrypts stuff is much needed: Even though many companies would disagree that this is essential, I’m sure they would change their mind after looking at how much sensible data is sent via insecure IMs these days by their employees. Together with the new functions of iChat like screen sharing and iChat Theater (Remote presentations, Films, Slideshows, Documents,... – you name it, the API is open), this is a very useable feature.
• The usual stuff together with extremely easy configuration: Directory Services, so you have a central contacts database. EMail setup. Logins for client computers. The whole Wiki/Blog/Webspace/FileShares/iChat/Calendar/etc. stuff all done via a central easy to manage application. This is more of a breakthough than you might think. The market lacks easy-to-use solutions like this outside of the Microsoft space.

  Most of this is based on standard and open source solutions. Most of this works with Windows or Linux clients, too. You get all the stuff the Linux guys recommend you get for a server, plus some additional stuff, but minus the Linux guys. The only downside is the price: it’s $499 for a 10 seat license and $999 for an unlimited license, but you get it for free with an XServe.

  Apple could have a killer here if they offer (and promote!!!) something like the following for small businesses:

• A mac mini with Leopard Server (with optional external drive if you need it to be a file server)
• An Airport Extreme base station and a big external drive for Time machine Backup that will be attached to it.
• A service agreement that promises to replace either the Mac mini or the Backup drive on the Airport Express within 24 hours, should one fail. In cities, make deals with local Apple partners and get it down to 4 hours. The dead server can easily be restored from the time machine drive.

• Sell this as a bundle offer for a competitive price. I know a lot of companies that would need this.

  (Hint to local Apple resellers: You can already make a bundle like this if you convince Apple that their Server makes sense without an XServe and at a lower price, too)

  Apple