X310 Vs Proliant Micro Server

I run a small computer service and have taken on a new client. Small office with three staff - perhaps a fourth. It will never get much bigger. Two owners are complete opposites - one a tech luddite and has never really learned much on computers - does most things by paper. The other is a corporate power user (but still a bit of a luddite) and is coming from a Fortune 500 company where she was a very high profile executive and had an army of tech support and infrastructure to support her.

Here's the rub - my business is only part time, as I have a 9-5 to pay the bills. Despite the descriptions above, both are very easy going and I can walk two blocks from my day job to troubleshoot things at lunch. The business can go a few hours without network services and not lose money if there is a critical issue, so I am not worried about being available 24/7 for them. They are fine with that.

Here are their needs as I see it:

• Energy efficient, quiet server for data file backups
• System backups for 2/3 desktops and one laptop
• Remote access to files (PDF, Word, Excel) from the laptop. VPN is not essential but I will probably set it up anyway
• About 10GB or less of data that must be backed up to an off-site location
• Ability to manage system remotely if needed
• Design/size is a consideration, but not critial. The office space is a bit high end but not corporate level and the unit will be visible
• They will never have any need of media streaming

I have worked a bit with WHSv1 and know that WHS will meet their needs nicely - but my experience has been limited to the HP MediaSmart units that are no longer being made. The lack of DE in WHS 2011 is not an issue for me so I am going with that. I plan on hooking up an exteernal HD (like a Free Agent Go) and setting folder duplication manually on it so they can swap it out once a week and remove it from the office for offsite backup. the 10GB of data on that drive could probably be done online, but for now they still believe physical medium is best for them. I will work on that.

If I wanted to, I could take the time to learn enough about a Linux option for this, but frankly I do not have the time to do so. I also do not have enough situations like this where learing a Linux setup would be cost effective for me.

I could easily build a unit but with the cost of the WHS licsense it really is a wash, and again, not much financial motive for me to build. At best it would let me tinker and have fun while I build it - which is always fun too!!

The two products I am looking at are

HP X310 - $349 w/WHS installed
HP ProLiant Micro Server - $289 + $70 WHC lic = $359 (wish I had bought yesterday when it WHS was on sale!)

The current Acer units don't seem to warrant the additional ~$100 cost. However the Acer AC100 looks very nice, but is not available yet - I would go i3 in a hearbeat. The PorLiant ML110 is nice, but a bit bulky for this install. However I am not ruling it out.

I am very open to other suggestions as far as hardware, but about 90% firm on WHS 2011. The other 10% is very happy to listen to and consider other alternatives!