Buying a server for your business is a significant investment. However, given how dependent modern businesses are on technology these days, it’s an investment that every SME needs to consider. Here are three questions you need to ask yourself before you make your purchase.
Will Scale with Your Business?
Small businesses can experience unpredictable levels of growth during their formative years. This is why choosing a server that has the capability of scaling with your business is crucial. Even if your company only employs a few individuals now, this may not be the case in a few years or even a few months. New members of staff will each need their own space to store all of their different files so you should choose a unit that offers support for multiple drives. This means you can upgrade to more storage when you need to, rather than paying for it to be pre-equipped from the start. This way, there’s no chance of being stuck with expensive equipment you don’t need in the long-run.
Does It Provide Reliable Backups?
Providing your business with reliable backups is one of the most important jobs a file server can offer your company. While the necessary software often comes as part of the initial package, such as Windows Small Business Server (SBS) Essentials and Apple’s Time Machine service, you’ll need to make sure you invest in the right hardware too. A RAID (short for redundant array of independent disks) compatible system, such as the ones available from www.pinnacledata.co.uk/, uses multiple disks to improve reliability, capacity, and overall performance. In this set-up, data can be mirrored on one or more disks in the same system. If one fails, the data will still be preserved on one of the other disks. If possible, you should also look for a unit that comes with a secondary power supply in case of a power shortage.
Will It Make Your Business More Secure?
Finally, the most important role of a server is the security it provides to your business. To limit the chance of your server suffering from malware, spyware, or any kind of computer viruses, consider keeping your server strictly offline. If you’re using the system as a file directory, there’s no need for it to be connected all the time. You can still keep it up-to-date from any threats by installing the latest patches through Windows Server Update Essentials (WSUS) on another server that’s also on your network. If this isn’t an option, allow the system to automatically download and install new patches as they come online.