The organization I work for employs about 10 people and is expected to employ 20 by the middle of next year. Currently, we are simply running with a DSL connection and a Wireless AP. All our computers have XP Pro. Our Exchange hosting is outsourced through Intermedia. Soon, we are going to get a T1 line, and implement a VoIP system. I wanted some input on whether we should invest in a centralized domain server. We have a contract with Dell, so that would be our provider. And if so, what would you all recommend as good specs for a decent, redundant server running Server 2003? Any advice is very much appreciated.

Also need to add one thing. If we get a Server 2003 machine, can it also be used as a RADIUS server for 802.1x authentication? Or does it have an equivalent service included? Thanks a lot.

You can take this situation down many roads. The decision you need to make is related to how much of the IT work do you want to keep in house? You outsource your Exchange but are you considering moving that in house? W2003SBS would be a great solution for your size of company. You can host your own websites, DNS and Exchange from the one server. As far as having a full redundant server, well you could have another W2003-SBS DC acting as a mirror in case the primary fails. Dell's Poweredge servers come in different sizes and shapes. Are you going to rack mount it or have it as a stand alone? My vote would be to rack mount it in a zero cabinet. Buy a Cisco PIX, bag the T-1 and upgrade the DSL to 1.5/1.0 if feasible. After all what is the speed of a T-1? 1.544mbps vs DSL at 1.5Mbps. No, W2003 doesn't have a RADIUS service and yes you can install the Radius software package on a W2003 server for authentication. Email me if you want to go deeper. ~DB