Windows Home Server

Michael Gartenberg | January 07, 2007, 10:37 PM

I was a little surprised when I got a call a few month ago from folks at Microsoft wanting to talk to me about a new server product. After all, most of what I cover is consumer related and servers are not consumer products. Right? Well, not anymore. Welcome, Windows Home Server. It's not a new concept, folks have been trying to package all sorts of stuff up and calling it a home server for more than a few years now. It's just that most of those efforts just didn't work.

There's a lot to like with the approach Microsoft is taking here. Start with proven business technology and make it accessible to mere mortals. For example, adding more storage is a no-brainier thanks to software that allows the devices to re-configure on the fly. I like the ability to access and of course, backup made simple is something long overdue (there's great backup integrated into Vista, but more and more, it's not just about backing up and managing one computer for consumers, it's about dealing with multiples machines and data stores). Consumers are putting all their digital eggs in one very fragile basket and it's nice to see Microsoft providing solutions to consumers to protect those assets.

While the UI isn't as flashy as Apple's Time Machine, it works and does the job and for consumers, that's the most important thing. This really a product that's time has come. The next step is for Microsoft to just make the bits available and let the enthusiasts and system builders go wild and create their own stuff. For now, a home server appliance will be a reality in 2007 and not a moment too soon.