Re: how to keep SBS server from auto-locking

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Susan Bradley, CPA aka Ebitz - SBS Rocks [MVP] wrote:
And it's your role to inform them how STUPID this is.

People can be taught.


Indeed, but it's a two-way street.

I agree that small businesses are more cost-conscious than
those where there is a bottomless money pit. Where I don't
agree is the suggestion that there's something wrong with
that. The world would be a better place if the big companies
and governments were run as if it were the employees' own
money that they were spending.

And though some appear to pay lip service to it without
really believing it, the fact is that if you, the expert,
have explained the risks correctly, with case studies if
possible, then it really is the owner's decision as to
whether to take those risks. Neither of you know the full
story, but it's easier for you to explain the IT risks
to him than for him to explain his business and finances
to you. Ultimately, he carries the responsibility, so he
makes the decision.

Security is important, probably the most important aspect
of computer use, but it's not all there is. Security comes
at the price of utility, and a totally secure computer is
simply a very large and expensive doorstop.

SBS is an example: for best possible security, all server
applications should run on their own private computer, or
at least in a genuinely isolated virtual machine. This is
crucially important in the case of the network's bastion
firewall. SBS puts all the eggs in one basket, because it's
aimed at people who can't afford a roomful of servers. I'm
one of those people: I run one machine continuously at home,
so willy nilly everything runs on it. Bastion firewall, DNS,
LDAP, SQL, web, mail, the lot. I know the risk, I choose to
take it. If it breaks, I'm the one who gets to keep the
pieces. And no, I don't use it as a workstation. If a server
is necessary, then it makes a very poor workstation, which
is another angle for the OP.
.

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