Collectively the features of Direct Access, the Remote Web Access (RWA) web based server access and traditional VPN are called Anywhere Access in WSE. The only other requirement is that the client OS is Enterprise (Win 7 or 8) or Ultimate (Win 7) requiring volume licensing but this shouldn’t be too difficult for a small business with the right advice from their consultant. In Windows Server 2012 however it’s MUCH easier to configure and it can even operate behind a NAT firewall which is common in SMB. While this technology first saw light in Windows Server 2008 it was difficult to setup and configure with extensive infrastructure requirements, putting it way out of reach for small businesses. The most exciting option however might be Direct Access which is next generation, no user interaction, always on VPN connectivity for your client machines when they’re out of the office. The built in NIC teaming functionality in Windows Server 2012 could come in handy for WSE as well, most servers come with two NICs, this way you’ll get twice the bandwidth and redundancy to boot. Then there’s Data Deduplication which can save you from having to buy new hard drives easy to configure and setup.

Server essentials