"We have built extensibility into our products so a developer or Microsoft can write services that will interact with the servers on the ground," says Steven VanRoekel, senior director of the Windows Server solutions group. "As those products evolve over time, you will see that same evolution as well for small and medium sized businesses."

Microsoft this year alone has spent US$6.5 billion on "support, services and solutions for the SMB space," according to CEO Steve Ballmer, who appeared on a Webcast to announce SBS 2008 and EBS 2008.

The two servers complete Microsoft's wave of IT infrastructure software based on Windows Server 2008, which shipped earlier this year. Microsoft said at its Partner Conference in July that the bundles would ship Nov. 12 and it hit that mark.

SBS 2008 includes Windows Server 2008, Exchange Server 2007, SharePoint Services 3.0 (not the full SharePoint Server), Windows Server Update Services 3.0, and a 120-day trial subscription to Forefront Security for Exchange Server and Windows Live OneCare for Server. It also supports Terminal Services access to applications.

The bundle also adds integration with Office Live Small Business to support the creation of basic Web sites, online document sharing via SharePoint and an introduction to Microsoft's online advertising platform.