Here’s an interesting whitepaper (funded by IBM) comparing IBM’s Lotus Foundations product to Microsoft Small Business Server. The actual comparison points start half-way down page eight.

The main takeaway for me is how refreshing it is for Microsoft to have a credible, direct competitor in that space. SMB size customers can only benefit from this.

However, the obvious purpose of that whitepaper aside, comparing Foundations to SBS is missing the point from the perspective of today’s SMB business decision makers. Both products are geared toward offering a hodgepodge of onsite services, few of which are required by a typical customer. And the key features – file management and email – are better outsourced.

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