6 Tips on Choosing a Server for Small Businesses
If your business creates an abundance of data, you likely store this on external hard drives or cloud storage service. While these are a great option and are reliable, the best way to collect and protect your data comes by choosing a server for yourself.
By owning a server for the business you are in control of accessing your company’s data at all times. It brings you more freedom than having to depend on external servers.
How do you choose the right server for business?
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Brand
Like everything else, the brand matters when it comes to a server. You want to choose one that has a reputation among business owners, whether small and medium-sized or larger businesses.
You want to consider a brand such as Net Depot. Such a service offers a diverse range of services from metal servers, to cloud storage servers, and much more. You can also count on dedicated support if you choose a great brand.
When researching brands, look at their reviews and ask your fellow entrepreneurs which ones they prefer to get an idea of what to buy.
2. The Server’s Downtime
High-quality servers usually have no problem with downtime. They seldom have downtimes so you can ensure constant syncing and use of your server. Smaller businesses don’t have to worry about downtime, in general. If you need a server for backing up data you might not have to stress if there’s occasional downtime.
However, if the server is used for your daily operations then you want to make sure that downtime is rare. Ask the retailer of the server about the downtime. You should also find out how quickly the server can recover if there is downtime.
3. Power
Servers have a range of how much power they have. While the more power your server has the more reliable it is, you don’t always need to have the most powerful server available. For example, if you use a server for occasional data backup you don’t have to worry about having the most powerful server.
If you use several applications and wish to backup large loads of data, then you need to have a powerful server. These powerful servers are often used for large media websites or for e-commerce websites.
You have to keep in mind that such servers consume lots of energy. If you buy a metal server, make sure you have the space for it and that your office can provide the electricity for it.
4. Do You Need to Scale?
You want to consider if you need to scale your servers for the future. You want to consider if you need to purchase a larger, more powerful server in the future. You might also want to consider if you want to have a mix of a physical on-site server and a cloud server.
Some companies underestimate their server needs and then have to incur a lot of expenses when scaling up. Other companies overestimate and waste money for years on the type of server they choose.
You should speak to the provider of your servers on what they recommend for the type of business you run. If you know entrepreneurs who run similar businesses to you then they can also help you decide scalability.
Make sure you research the operating costs of the server beforehand. You should speak with your company’s accountant to determine the budget if you scale up or scale down with your servers.
Money is always a factor, so make sure you consult with your accountant on the most affordable server option that also gives you the best features.
5. Choosing an On-Site Server
An on-site server gives you the most freedom to manage your data. This also is the costliest option. Not only do you have to pay for the server, but you also have to make sure that you have space in your office — likely an entire room for the server.
Additional costs will include paying higher costs on your electricity bill. If you have sensitive data on your server, you might even want to hire overnight security to watch over your office. This might not be the case for a small business, but you do want to consider the responsibilities involved when choosing an on-site server.
These servers come with three different types of casing options. You can opt for a tower server that resembles a desktop computer. These don’t require any additional equipment and are perfect for most small businesses.
Rackmount servers have to be installed in a cabinet. You can store a large number of servers in these cabinets so they work well for medium-sized and large businesses.
Finally, a blade server takes up little space but works well for high-end operations. They can heat up rapidly and need to be cooled regularly. You should keep these in a separate room with a separate AC unit if possible.
6. Choosing a Cloud Server
Whether you want this instead of a physical server or as an additional service, cloud servers are always a great option. You might already be using a cloud storage option such as Dropbox or Google Drive. However, these cloud servers are far more advanced and are tailored for businesses. They also provide more security for your data.
You pay a subscription fee for this service. It will come with dedicated support so you can always depend on someone to fix any issues.
As you would with smaller cloud storage services, you give your team access to the server so that they can backup data at any time. If your main reason for using a server is to store data, then choosing a cloud server is a great option.
Start Choosing a Server
Now that you know the guidelines for choosing a server, you can start looking around for the ideal server for your business. Make sure to share this guide with your fellow business owners.
For more tips and suggestions for entrepreneurs, make sure to check out our website.
