Bring Windows Home Server to Life In Microsoft’s New Retail Stores

By on August 6, 2009 in Hardware, Windows Home Server

I’ve been surprised to see how well you guys took up the challenge to Create a New Name for Windows Home Server (let’s hope Microsoft are reading!) and I thought it was about time to set a new challenge.

It’s a peach of a topic for those of us who have been around the home server world, and was raised again in the comments to the branding post, but one thing we do know about Windows Home Server is that Microsoft and it’s various partners haven’t done a great job bringing the product to life to mainstream users (i.e. those guys who would rather eat their own socks than hang out on sites like this one!)

Here’s the thing – we’ve seen patchy coverage of home servers in big box retailers, and where there have been displays, they’ve not really educated browsers on what a home server is and why you need one. The big features and benefits of WHS haven’t been brought to life in any kind of compelling, impactful, I-gotta-get-myself-one-of-those kind of way.

So, if the corporates have tried their best, it’s time for the enthusiasts to take over. I reckon more than anyone, you guys know how to talk about Windows Home Server, how to show it off to friends, family and colleagues, how to help people understand what it’s all about.

So, WGS readers, it’s time for you to take the floor – let’s pretend there’s a potential slot going in Microsoft’s new retail stores and you’re in the hot seat to bring the features and benefits of Windows Home Server to life to the average guys and girl out there. What are you going to do?

(FWIW, I’ll be very surprised if we see WHS in Microsoft’s new store, but hey, it’s a fun exercise anyway, and who knows, maybe there’ll be a spark of inspiration here for them!)

(Image source  http://www.istartedsomething.com/)


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About Terry Walsh

Terry Walsh is the founding editor and owner of We Got Served. Since February 2007, the site has provided detailed coverage and analysis of the emerging home server category, and has subsequently grown into a trusted outlet for digital home news and reviews.
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  • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

    Don't buy this, it won't do what it says on the tin without massive time investment.
    It lacks native MCE support, is not UPnP & DLNA compliant out of the box, good luck getting a tuner ready with it oh and other Microsoft product teams are not even aware of it. in short you will have to spend a lot of time looking for solutions for which Microsoft should have already solved (and to an extent what 3rd parties like HP and Fujitsu have tried to).

    Wow what a sales pitch:

    Windows PC sales 30
    Xbox 360 sales 5
    Windows mobile sales 6
    Windows Home Server Sales 0

    in short the immaturity of the products name (or vice versa) shows how ready this product is for anybody who would rather chew their socks than visit a site like this ^_-

    WHS in it's current form is still not ready for mass market as you need a lot of technical experience to get it to

    A. Function
    B. Do what it says on the tin
    C. Work with all the devices in your house

    Works for me but not the average Joe
    Oh but nice idea for an article Terry, I hope MS is looking.

    • Theo van Elsberg

      A: Just plug it in?
      B: Maybe you need to read your tin again?
      C: It does (see B)

      If you need a media streaming device *only*: sure – you do not want WHS for this.

      • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

        As I said I have no problems with WHS but that's me I'm a programming student and pretty tech savy. At launch the Windows Home Server was for everybody and without a shadow of a doubt the average person would not get it working the way that it reads on the tin by just plugging it in. Most won't even know how to setup a secure network let alone basic admin on the console.

        It might not have come across in the post but believe it or not I love WHS and its the core of my network. But it is not mainstream ready yet and thus cannot be advertised as a mainstream device i.e "just plug it in"

    • http://www.christian-marx.de Christian Marx

      Well, "what it says on the tin" reminded me of this:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXAcwriid0

      Funny, but also makes you think. There might be a general problem in how Microsoft tries to sell their stuff. That's especially true for the WHS. I would say, keep it as simple as possible. Focus on the main advantages. Don't be too technical. It can be a nice toy for savvy people, but you don't have to advertise it specifically to them, at least not in a retail store. If you want the average Joe to buy it, try the Apple way, make it sexy.

      Cheers
      CM

      • http://gcoupe.spaces.live.com Geoff Coupe

        Ah, yes – a brilliant spoof, with more than a grain of truth. Sometimes, less is more.

  • JohnCz

    I'd place it in two locations in the store…

    Between Two Netbooks: If ultra portable notebooks are the trend than what better place to say, "you're going to need more storage…and oh by the way, you can access that content remotely from your new netbook".

    Entertainment Room: This is typically where most "cable" consumers have their cable modems and so you want to show how a "stylish" home server fits in that environment and demonstrate how it enhances the XBox experience. The last point would be even more true if there is a v2 WHS sku that includes Media Center.

    Home Office: This is typically where most "dsl" consumers have their dsl modems and so you want to demonstrate how it fits the ergonomics of your home office and details how it can give provides the small business owner peace of mind.

    With 3 locations, its an opportunity to showcase 3 different partners.

  • JohnCz

    Whoops, I meant "three" in the beginning of the previous post.

  • http://gcoupe.spaces.live.com Geoff Coupe

    I don't really agree with urmaster that WHS doesn't "do what it says on the tin". It seems to me that he's describing the tin as he'd like to see it, not as it is currently described by Microsoft.
    For me, WHS is living up to the current tin description (which is also not to say that improvements would not be welcome).

    It's saved my bacon on a number of occasions when valuable data has been lost from client PCs. It hosts my audio media collection with WMC2 well enough that I use it in preference to pulling out the CD. In fact, with the "Play To" feature of Windows 7, this makes browsing and choosing music to play through my Hi-Fi a doddle.

    I agree that there are areas for improvement: full DLNA 1.5 compliance for all forms of media, for example, or the removal of the stupid restriction that prevents remote access via WHS to Windows Home Premium OSes. But as a first release, it's not bad.

    • http://www.intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

      Well I said without massive time investment not that it's impossible for it to tick it's own boxes.
      Maybe I should phase it as such:

      For pretty much all of the features advertised it will take some level of knowledge or time to setup to their maximum potential in the average environment.

      By that I mean the first line on the official WHS site :
      "Everybody needs Windows Home Server" is void by the fact that not everybody can setup a home server. Can you honestly say that it as easy to get a server ready as say an iPod or camera so that ANY able bodied person could use it in the way that such other mainstream devices can be used. Part of the problem is that it relies on too many outside factors like a good gigabit network and broadband with a router, not to mention an ISP that won't block/throttle your ports (tell that to the average person and see the response)

      It doesn't even need to get to that level; can you put it at the same level of friendliness as even standard consumer Windows SKUs. The fact that the forums here are very active also proves that it isn't ready yet.

      • unami99

        I think my HP ex485 was very easy to set up and a novice shouldn’t have any trouble either. All I had to do was plug the network cable into my router, install the Connection software on my PCs and everything else was done for me. The ex485 automaticly adjusted the port forwarding of my router. It was easy to set the backup schedule and simple to learn to transfer files to it and how to retrive the files. It was also easy to stream to my xbox and over the internet. I’m pretty sure that covers everything that HP said it should do out of the box. Of course I did add a lot of add-ins to my box and do a lot more with it than was advertised but I think the average user should have no problems with WHS in a prepackaged system like the media smart servers.

        • http://intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

          Again the fact that your on this site shows your are nowhere near the "Average User". I was at my neighbours house just yesterday because he didn't know where to plug his scart cables (maybe if he had the manual he would have). The number of tech calls companies get for people who simply don't reset their modem when their internet stops or don't check caps lock on the keyboard when entering a password. Again the fact you found this site suggests you are nowhere near the demographic of "Average User".

  • http://gcoupe.spaces.live.com Geoff Coupe

    Oh, and a further thought:

    It seems to me that the biggest hurdle is that it's not being properly marketed by Microsoft. Oh, and that comment by urmaster about "other Microsoft teams not being aware of it", while true, is a common complaint, not just in relation to WHS. I've always found that Microsoft teams operate as individual fiefdoms – trying to bang their heads together and remove the "Not Invented Here" attitude was an exercise in frustration during the days when I had regular contacts with Redmond as part of my job.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

      Yes this is pretty annoying but at least the WHS team themselves are aware of the other MS product teams, and that goes a long way. A nice example is how PP3 will work with HomeGroups and the integration with Media Centre.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/PaulJG PaulJG

    Good idea, Terry!

    I wish MS would let consumers assist them with marketing efforts (though it would be nice to get paid for it like a writer with Crispin Porter & Bogusky :-)

    -0- Securely store memories: Store your photos and videos all in one place. You can even share them with family and friends

    -0- Never lose data again: set-it-and-forget-it image backup of client PCs

    -0- Copy, store and access all your important files in one centralized location. Use Windows Home Server's built-in search function to locate any file quickly

    -0- Expansive possibilities: With hundreds of add-ins available, WHS is limited only by your imagination. Host a family website; play movies and music on media-compliant devices

    I'm a sometime marketing writer and editor, and it's early, but those are some bullet points I can think of.

    As a mostly "average" user, I think WHS has lived up to its advertising. Like Geoff, it's saved me (twice, now) when the hard drive in my daughter's notebook died. And family members do sometimes go to their accounts on the system to view and comment on photos.

  • Mike

    First, got to an Apple store and see what works there.

    Second how do you show the benefits of WHS? I think that the ability to store all your photos in one place, the ability to see your photos on an XBOX, the ability to remotly access your computes, and the ability to recover a lost hard drive are the bigest benefits of WHS.

    So, in a store, they should set up multiple sections where there are WHS, Laptops, XBOXs, and TVs where all this can be demoed. It would be really interesting if they could come up with a five minute demo where you can create a video or picutre of yourself, wipe out the hard drive it is on and completly recover it. You just need enough places where people can do this.

    There should also be Windows experts who can answer peoples questions.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

      That would be the best way to demonstrate both it and the other products available at the same time. A complete restore might be a bit time consuming however ^_-

    • Tom

      I'd have to agree to what Mike say's about doing actual demonstartions of the products and how they can interact with other MS. products. Most people don't understand why a backup is needed or why a file server is needed. The best way to show them is actually have demonstrations of a WHS and then destroy a hard drive right in front of them and put in a new one and restore the computer!

      Also showing them the intergration of WHS to a Media center Computer would also be helpful but only if they also demonstrate the functions of a "true" media center computer. almost every one with Vista has Media Center but 90% of them don't know what it does or how to record tv to it, and how that would benifit them in conjunction with WHS.

      Also don't put a 17 year old "thinks he knows it all" Sales person at the display to do the demonstrations, but have an actual Microsoft certified Geek who knows the product inside and out do the demonstrations.

  • Kevin

    I like to see the continuation of the "Mommy, there is a home server in the house" campaign. For one, we need to have a person dressed up like a home server walking the isles of the new Microsoft retail stores. Secondly, we need to showcase the power of storing one's precious photos in a safe spot … sell the home server to the wifes/moms of the house hold. The blockheaded husbands will want to get a home theatre PC first anyway … and try to cram everything inside the HTPC. Market to the wives! Husband's will aquiesce when the wives thell them that the candy store is closed until they get a home server. That's the other thing that irritates me, why the hell aren't PC makers putting out $400 HTPCs to accompany all the HD TVs that are in everyone's living rooms?

  • RingaDing

    Place a WHS (Microsoft Hub in the centre of the store.
    Pc's in the store should show "your Windows Worrld, is backed upo on WHS.

    Have a media centre(HTPC) display area showing the funtions and services of whs streamed from WHS Interlaced with film clips.
    Digital wirelessPhoto Frames flicking throught photos streamed From A WHS. A advertiement included at random. "Your digital photos, doubley safy with WHS duplication.
    Music Streamed.
    Etc
    Last lots of avertising boards having something like "WHS/HUB saving and serving your digital life"
    I could go on!