About 400 dollars more and you get Exchange, SharePoint, and Windows Software Update Services (Keeps Your Lan Computers up to date). You could also host a website if you wanted too. But you may have to buy extra CALs, if you have 5 or more computers/users.
Cals can drive the cost up significantly. The cost of 20 cals (to put Standard on par with Exchange in this area) would almost be more than the cost of Standard.
For many small offices, Exchange and Sharepoint may not be all that necessary. Web hosting is cool but there are a lot of ways to do that.
I really don't understand why they didn't include Windows Software Update Services in Essentials, other than to drive the business to the Standard. (I guess I do understand ;))
Reviewing my post it seems I am down on Standard. I am not. I think it is a very good program.
Essentials is very stripped down version of Standard. Originally it was based on Windows Home Server adding DHCP control.
I would also like a fax server to be inluded in Essentials also, but agan, they want to push business to the higher vesions.
