PAPIC: Every time we sell something, we are essentially being benchmarked against Microsoft Small Business Server. We definitely have a huge value proposition, both on the initial acquisition cost of the solution as well as in the ongoing TCO.
CRN: What form does Net Integration's version of Linux come in?
PAPIC: It can be delivered on a CD. And there is really no installation process, because the OS is so small you essentially boot it from the CD and then it places copies of itself on every drive that you have in the system. It will boot from whatever you have. Later on, it will boot from the hard drive or CD, whatever you have. You can deploy it pretty well on any X86 type platform.
CRN: Where does pricing start for Net Integration's offering?
PAPIC: The base level is around $599 for a five-user [license]. We basically have a model that's similar to Microsoft's in the sense that there is licensing on a per-user basis. But the price per user is significantly lower, and the ongoing maintenance and upgrade fees are not being paid on a per-user basis. You're paying for the server deployment. So in essence, you're paying just an upgrade fee for your OS software. That's different from Microsoft--they hit you for every user. Also, our pricing is generally structured in such a way that there is no artificial barrier at 75 users. As you know, Small Business Server stops at 75 users, and then you have to throw that away and buy a whole new set of servers. Our server scales from literally five onward, or you can have a general license, which is pretty inexpensive. This way, you can use as much as you need for your particular environment, and you are not forced to buy a $100 license, which is the way Small Business Server works.
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