Today is the last day of 2013 and I’ve used the afternoon to organize some old author materials in my home office basement. I bumped into a bunch of Small Business Server (SBS) resources and it instantly occurred to me. Today is the end of life (EOL) for SBS. After tonight when the clock moves to 12:01AM and the year is 2014, you can no longer purchase SBS from any official channel (tonight is the OEM channel deadline).
My eulogy is very simple: Thank You!
It was an honor and a pleasure to serve Small Business Server from October 22, 1997 until December 31, 2013 for a total life of 16 years, 2 months and 5 days (or 5,910 days total). You made my career and you made my company (SMB Nation) what it is today. You created ten jobs that provide for ten families at my company. You were adored more than you’ll ever realize. You saw two economic booms and two recessions. You launched the careers of many SMB IT Pros who owe you a debt of gratitude.
While I am sad to see you go and literally close a few books (I wrote eight books on SBS and 100+ magazine articles), I celebrate what we had. I’m meeting with a few IT Pros shortly where we’ll toast to you, SBS.
Rest well my special friend.
Pictured: SBSers toast the end of SBS!
Editor’s Note: The OEM version of SBS is still available via D&H Distributing until they sell through their inventory, but once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. We also heard news from our contact at D&H that they are currently buying heavy inventory to continue to support those who must still use SBS 2003.
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