Windows 2003 R2 switching to domain PRO'S & CONS

Hey Guys I have a few questions for you

I presented to my company switching to a domain net work rather then using a work group.
The main reason i would like to switch is so that we have more control over the users and we can be more
productive when a computer goes down. From the research i have done there does not seam to be that many cons but i was asked what they were.

Could any one give me a list of pros and cons to switching from a WORKGROUP to a Domain Name?

Thank you

The biggest "con" would likely be the added expense of hiring Server Admin Of course, the added expense of the equipment - server hardware and software, too, but that's usually a one-time expense. Btw, you should be looking at at least 2008 R2.

we can be more productive when a computer goes down.

Click to expand...

If the server goes down - the entire network goes down, while with workgroup - only a single computer is out of the loop.

The primary advantage of a domain is central administration. Users have a single domain account instead of on individual computers they may use and require access to. Access to resources is centrally managed. A workgroup is suitable for a maximum of about 10 computers but depends on how they are used. On larger networks a domain is a virtual necessity.

The downside is that the domain requires that there be someone available with sufficient knowledge to configure and administer it. You will not learn this from reading a few forum posts. Entire books have been written about this. If your organization does not have such an individual it would be advisable to obtain the services of a professional who does.

Because of the central administration you have a potential single point of failure and that is not good. To avoid this you need a minimum of 2 domain controllers, all of which must be running a server OS. Needless to say backups of all data is essential. Many businesses have failed for not doing this.