EBS Administrators Companion hits the printers!

Some of you may have noticed a recent announcement from Microsoft Learning about the release of the Windows Essential Business Server 2008 – Administrators companion.  Very very exciting – and a big thanks to JC Mackin and Charlie Russell for putting this together!

You can see the MSL announcement below;

Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Administrator's Companion, by J.C. Mackin and Charlie Russel By Melissa von Tschudi-Sutton, content project editor, Microsoft Press Microsoft Windows Essential Business Server (EBS) 2008 is a new product whose purpose is to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of running a midsize business network. A multi-server product, Windows EBS is installed on three servers in Standard Edition and four in Premium Edition. Included in the package are many component technologies—Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, and Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007, to name a few—which, as part of Windows EBS, are discounted 30 percent relative to the sum of their individual costs. But Windows EBS is no mere software bundle. It is installed through a single setup procedure, and its components are automatically configured according to best practices. Out of the box, you get a central administration console, a new or upgraded Active Directory domain, preconfigured Group Policy objects, a preconfigured firewall with anti-malware capabilities, a preconfigured mail server, Remote Web Workplace, Outlook Web Access, and many, many other features, all of which are automatically configured and integrated with the other Windows EBS components. Though simple in its vision, Windows EBS is huge in its scope, and as such, writing a book on this product presents a particular set of challenges. Realistically, for each component technology such as Exchange or System Center Essentials, a full book is needed to cover the administration of that component in detail. Given the scale of Windows EBS, writing a single book that thoroughly covers every facet of its administration would simply be impossible. To meet this challenge, we decided to focus first on the many aspects of Windows EBS that are unique to the product—aspects such as planning for your Windows EBS network and using the Windows EBS Administration Console. In the remaining chapters, we provide an overview of the Windows EBS component technologies so that you can get started administering your network. As a result, Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Administrator’s Companion is an indispensable guide for Windows EBS deployment and administration, as well as a great introduction to this exciting new product if you are simply exploring it as a solution.