Well, a lot of folks consider SMB as one cookie but there really two scales involved: Small and Medium! According to Wikipedia, the nomenclature based upon number of employees is as below:
| AUS | US | EU | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minute/Micro | 1-2 | 1-6 | <10 |
| Small | <15 | <250 | <50 |
| Medium | <200 | <500 | <250 |
| Large | <500 | <1000 | <1000 |
| Enterprise | >500 | >1000 | >1000 |
I find the Australian/European scale of less than 50 for small business a much practical number as compared to 250 for the US which kind of falls under a medium sized business. For the purposes of capacity planning, we can say:
Minute/Micro Business : 1 – 10 Employees
Small Business: 11 – 50 Employees
Medium Business: 51 – 250 Employees
Large Business (Enterprise with multiple branch offices): more than 250 Employees
That being said, a good plan and design should always consider scaling from lower to the higher bracket. Every business wants to to grow and it would be bad engineering if the IT/Infrastructure investments were not scalable and sustainable as the business scales! Scalability is one of the prime challenges of a good design.
Thanks for your thoughts. It’s hpeled me a lot.
That takes us up to the next level. Great posintg.