Direct-attached storage devices give you a convenient way to save data from a server or workstation at minimal cost. But when it comes time to protect several systems on your SMB customer’s network, look to a network device rather than trying to share a DAS appliance.

Thecus’ N5200B is a shoo-in for servicing small business storage needs. Not only does the five-drive cube do its NAS duties, but it also supports iSCSI SAN, works as an ISO server for CD images, functions as a media server, and features a built-in FTP server. Talk about utility.

After installing a quintet of SATA disks (or fewer, if you prefer) and connecting one of the Gigabit Ethernet controllers to your customer’s network, tell the N5200B how you want the storage configured: RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, or JBOD. A 600 MHz Celeron M and 256MB of DDR memory guarantee speedy performance no matter which mode you pick.

There’s definitely a premium tied to a high-end small form factor enclosure like Shuttle’s SX48P2 E. However, the combination of performance and scalability in a compact space is simply unrivaled.

Onboard audio is nowhere near sufficient for the professionals working in studios, using higher-end sound equipment, and creating their own content. Even add-in sound cards neglect the real needs of true audio enthusiasts. If your customer is looking for XLR- and TRS-style inputs or MIDI I/O, show them what M-Audio’s new Fast Track Ultra can do. The first USB 2.0 device from M-Audio, its Fast Track simultaneously supports eight channels of 24-bit/96 kHz audio without the need to crack open a chassis.

Up front you’ll find a quartet of input jacks, each with its own padded pre-amp. There are also a couple of ¼” headphone outputs with adjustable levels. Flip the device around for access to six balanced analog inputs and as many outputs. Digital I/O, MIDI I/O, and two inserts (used to add outboard processing) round out the Fast Track Ultra’s connectivity package. Although it’s pricier than most sound cards, M-Audio’s latest is purpose-built for a different kind of customer—someone who needs lots of room for attaching serious audio hardware.

When it comes time to roll out the big guns of server computing, take a look at Tyan’s Thunder n4250QE motherboard, which can house up to eight Opteron processors. The behemoth is absolutely loaded with features, including an XGI Volari graphics processor, two PCI Express x16 slots with 16 lanes each, two more x16 slots with four lanes, and a standard PCI slot. The list doesn’t stop there, either. Eight SATA 3 Gb/s ports, three Gigabit Ethernet controllers, 16 DDR2 memory slots, and four Socket F processor interfaces all lend the platform tremendous flexibility.

Situated between the four processor interfaces sits two HyperTransport connectors. Tyan sells a daughter board called the M4985 that takes an additional four Opteron 8000-series chips and an extra 64GB of memory, bringing the Thunder’s capacity up to eight CPUs or as many as 32 total processing cores. That sort of horsepower is unprecedented, and yet a server based on the board fits in a compatible 5U chassis.

If the release candidate of Microsoft’s Small Business Server 2008 is any indication, the company is only going to be including a trial version of its homebrewed security software. And even then, the app only safeguards your customer’s server. It’s on the VAR to make sure small businesses protect servers, workstations, and roaming notebooks against external and internal threats.

Trend Micro’s Worry-Free Business Security Advanced helps simplify the task by covering SBS machines, Exchange email boxes, and every client that connects to the network. By deploying Worry-Free, you give management staff the tools they need to filter instant messenger content or block access to sites that Trend has deemed unsafe.

The suite naturally also protects against more conventional threats like viruses, spyware, rootkits, and bots. New for this version is location awareness. When a notebook is connected from within the network, its security settings can be modified versus the same machine used elsewhere.