SBS 2011 Standard is not for beginners. That's a full server solution for small and mid size businesses up to 75 users. It's a big waste of money if you have no plans to use Exchange or SharePoint which is why Essentials was created. Managing domain records, email records, SharePoint databases, etc. is usually above the level a techie and more of a server administrator's job. If you think Standard is hard, imagine how much work it would be to set up everything from scratch following best practices. Yikes. SBS Standard gives you a lot of bang for your buck if you actually utilize the included features like Exchange, folder redirection, centralized authentication, etc. SBS Essentials gives you Server 2008R2 functionality with the simplicity of Windows 7.
Level Of Difficulty:
Windows 7 < SBS 2011 Essentials < SBS 2011 Standard < Server 2008R2
For the latter 2, I wouldn't even recommend it without an IT guy/professional.
Windows 7 is easy enough but leaves a lot to be desired.
SBS Essentials is a little difficult but we have an online tutorial dedicated to AC.
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