What is the size of a small business for Microsoft ?!
In the past Microsoft has tried to scale the small business offer to company with a ballpark figure of 50 users. However, small businesses differ from one country to one another. For example, a 200 users company is a small business in USA, and a nearly big company in Luxembourg !
Recently, Microsoft try to have a scalable offer with the introduction of Windows Essential Business Server.
Let’s see the evolution of Small Business offer :
1997 ” BackOffice Small Business Server 4.0 : max 25 client licenses
2001 ” Microsoft Small Business Server 2000 : max 50 client licenses
2003 ” Windows Small Business Server 2003 : max 75 client licenses
2008 – Windows Small Business Server 2008 : max 50 client licenses and introduction of a new segment with the Windows Essential Business Server for company with more than 50 less than 250 clients.
With the hosted services offer, Microsoft has a different strategy and is talking about offer targeted for :
Small Business (5-24 PCs)
Midmarket (25-499 PCs)
Enterprise (500+ PCs)
Usually Microsoft consider small businesses a company with less than 75 users (the limit for Windows Small Business Server) but for this offer, small business are re-sized at 24 users !
Why not calling them Very Small Businesses (VSB) then ?