# Which version of Windows Server to use?



## BriMan83 (Mar 18, 2012)

So I'm sure a lot of people have posted this kind of question, but since everyone here seems to be pretty awesome and helpful with this, I'm going to ask as well.

I work at Farmers Insurance, and the agent I work for is moving out of the district office and into his own personal office. Being the computer tech/geek of the group, it's fallen to me to help set up the network. Now I've used and maintained systems running Windows Server before, but I've never built one from the ground up. As my post title says, I'm at a loss as to what version of Windows Server to use? Not just what year, but what specific one in that year.

All we are going to need the server to do is authenticate log-in credentials and be a common storage space for files to be shared in the office. Even once this office gets up and running, I can not see us needing more then 25 client licenses. I don't see us having more then 10 people in the office, but I know it will never pass 25 unless something drastically changes in how many clients we have.

If anyone can point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it.


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## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

I'm sure the Farmers corporate office has either a technology standard to follow or a contracted IT company. If you weren't hired specifically for an IT role, get a consulting group to handle this. The "all we're going to need" clause indicates a domain with authentication and security. That isn't something you read about on Google and set up on a Sunday afternoon. 

You're dealing with client's personal, financial information. I don't think Farmers or their clients would be happy to hear someone is asking for help setting up their secure network and servers on a technology forum on the Internet.


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## BriMan83 (Mar 18, 2012)

All the corporate office has set up, is told us to go through Dell because they have set up a corporate discount through them for the computers and software. Having talked with the IT department personally, all they have pretty much told me is "Each agents office is different, so they exact setup and software you use is up to your office, all we can tell you is where to get it from." It seems most agents offices don't bother setting up a domain environment in their offices, instead they just have everyone use local log-in's on the computer, and then access the corporate system through the secure website.

Because we are dealing with the clients personal, and highly confidential information, I want to make sure this gets done correctly, and I don't want to set up something that is not secure. I was initially hired in for the IT role, and that has been my main duty with them, they have just had me helping out as a CSR as well as I picked up on the insurance side of the business real quick, and it was great money on the side when I had an off day from maintaining networks.

I know this isn't going to be an simple one day process, and the layout has already been decided upon and all the wiring has been put in place for the network that will be going in there. As far as actually configuring the server, and setting up the security, I have done that before and know how to set that part up, I have just never had to actually shop around for the server OS being used, it had already been decided upon by either a consulting company or a higher up in the IT department in past projects, neither of which I have for this project.

As DoubleHelix mentioned, I do want to create a domain, and not just a work-group, but to me that's because to me domain's have always been much more secure, at least in experience, and it is much easier to maintain access rights and see who is accessing what when you can do it from one central location, rather than having to go around to each individual desktop to maintain things.


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## Rockn (Jul 29, 2001)

Server 2008 standard if you do not need anything besides AD, DNS, DHCP and simple file and print services. If you need an email server do a Small Business Server


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