Money in your small business person’s pocket!
I often have the opportunity to take advantage of my Microsoft Partner status when evaluating solutions for clients. I’ve been a Gates fan since he stole DOS from IBM. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer company, back then. How things have changed. I’m also an IBM partner, having fallen head over heals with the RS6000 and IBM server hardware in general.
I’ve just completed a proof of concept project for a client that could potentially save close to over $10000 in upfront Microsoft licensing costs. I was stunned, because I didn’t intend to go in that direction. These days, $10000 is a sizable chunk of change for a small business owner.
As a Microsoft Partner, I own MAPS, not the kind that you find your way around town with, but the software version. MAPS allows me to have legit copies of all of Microsoft’s software offerings. Consequently, I maintain intimate knowledge of Microsoft’s desktop and server products. And, I am a particular fan of Server 2008 Terminal Services. If Microsoft ever got anything right, they got Server 2008 right.
My proof of concept project consisted of creating a 2008 Terminal Server with desktop access to QuickBooks Enterprise and Microsoft Office for 30 users. Just as I was to complete the install of Microsoft Office, I discovered that I did not have the correct volume license keys to make the software work! My deadline was 24 hours away, over a weekend (that spells Monday morning), without any ability to get the keys on time.
After I stopped shaking, I remembered the requirements for the project were QuickBooks, Word Processing and Spreadsheet capability. I stopped thinking Microsoft Office and started thinking Open Office. Within the hour, I had completed my proof of concept project.
Open Office version 3 is as good an office suite as money can buy. The best part is that it is free! “That means you are free to download it, free to install it on as many PCs as you like, free to pass copies to as many people as you like. You may use OpenOffice.org 3 for any purpose without restriction: private, educational, public administration, commercial… Free, really free.” And, it’s really well done!
Thirty Terminal Server licensed users equals thirty Microsoft Office licenses needed, times $400 plus per license, equals, well, you get the picture. Contact me, I could use the work!
6 thoughts on “Terminal Services Plus Open Office Equals”
Even cheaper method:
TS Plus 2011
Use standard RDP Protol and has other perks including unrestrictive licensing – easy deployment and can even be setup up on WinXp or higher for a small office environement…
I’ve tested several environments including virtual servers – all work fine…
Cost of ownership per user is pretty cheap in comparison… especially for a small business environment that would like to take advantage of citrix like setup
Check this Terminal Service Alternative… easy to install
Cheers
Nibbles
This sounds great and we have a similar issue and similar aggravation with the cost. I am wondering if, after your install of Quickbooks and Open Office, Quickbooks was able to integrate with Open Office. Quickbooks has links on the toolbar pointing to word and excel for reporting and letters.
I never tested integration with QuickBooks as the requirement was not part of the proof of concept project. But, it would make a great project for an avid Open Office user.
I’m sorry to hear about your situation. I also looked at the TS issues on the OOo forums. I decided to go the distance because there were so few complaints about OO and TS. I can only stand by my statements. OO and TS are playing very well together on my prototype. However, I made a fresh TS box with a fresh QuickBooks and OO install; pretty much the perfect world. I may have had the same problems doing this on a production box that others are having. Anyway, I hope you get everything worked out.
I’ve just tried this solution. A Windows server 2008 running terminal services, with open office 3.0 installed.
I have a problem that the users are complaining that open office is hanging. We have to kill the open office tasks from the task manager in order for the clients to reopen OO.
I wouldn’t recommend this solution, since I’m not the only one with the problem. (http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=12103)
It’s fine that you can save 10.000$, but it just seems like there’s a copmatibility issue with the terminal services and OO 3.0.
Wow.. that’s closer to 12 grand