Hardware Decision Guides

Do We Really Need a Server?

While any small business can operate without a server, adding a server, be it in house or virtual, has added benefits which may be useful in justifying the additional costs. If you have two or more computers in any size business, a client-server network configuration can often be justified as opposed to using standalone computers for your information management. The server enables centralized data management and automatic backup. It allows you to even host your own website if you choose. There are very reasonably priced entry level servers that enable even the smallest of business to be more productive, to store data securely, and that can ensure quick recovery in the event of a catastrophic failure, theft, or power loss. The larger question becomes ""Can your business afford to not have a server?""
No handling CDs, zip drives, emailing info from user to user, or having to manually backup every PC in the office. Redundant hardware increase the probability of extremely high reliability for the server with only minor increases in cost. Each employer can get seamless access to the data wherever you log on, virtually from anywhere in the world that has internet access. Your computer crashes? Log onto another and you are back in business. It is that simple. Adding an IPsec compliant virtual private network will ensure that that data transfer is encrypted and your information remains private between sites or remote users.
However, more often than not a small business and even some medium sized businesses will not have the resources or perhaps not have the expertise to hire their own IT staff. Perhaps they wish to outsource, even if they do have people capable of managing the IT forest. But even the most honest vendor can ask questions that no one in your office can answer, e.g., What type of server software do you need? Do you want SCSI? How much RAM do you need?, Single Ranked or Dual Ranked RAM?, What Level RAID do you need? How much disk space do you need? Are you going to do remote maintenance? Tape or Disk for Backup?
Until the definition of the needs of the business are extracted through the interview process, it is impossible to know what is the minimum configuration. That leaves the vendor forced to build in lots of margin for error and perhaps much more system than you really need -- just to make sure you do not outgrow your server. But our rule of thumb is to ensure that the server meets the needs of the business or is economically scaleable to meet the needs of a business for at least a five year period. For a fully redundant server this is quite reasonable to expect.

• How many users do you anticipate needing access over the next five years?
• What business applications do you need served?
• Do you need e-mail served, as well.
• Do you anticipate having a need for a second server in the same domain?
• Do you need to have the local drives on the computers being served backed up?
• Do you want to host a website on the server?

Microsoft Small Business Server bundles Microsoft Exchange, share point services, the O/S and most everything you need to run a small business. But the more features you add, the greater the chance you will have to buy individual software packages at a greatly increased per seat expense. Alternatively Microsoft Server Standard or Enterprise may have more per seat expense, but are scalable to a multiple server environment.
So lets say SBS does fit your needs. Then we can move onto hardware.
Dual and Quad core processors enable multithreaded software applications to run on seperate processors. While faster may be better, sometimes it is wasted, e.g., if your VPN or network connection are bottlenecks.
SBS supports a maximum of 4GB of RAM so any extra is a waste.
SCSI hard disks are very fast, reliable, but quite expensive due to their much more complex design. SAS drives are a serial rather than parallel form of SCSI but still expensive, SATA drives are not as reliable but inexpensive. But properly designed redundant arrays (RAID) can in many cases use these drives with minimal risk to uptime.
Tape Backup is on the way out. Microsoft is dropping support in some of the server packages starting in 2008. Better and faster technolgies are becoming economical to nearly every size server from built-in removalble hard drives to USB mounted SAN storage.
Power supply failures are common. Redundant power supplies ensure a power supply failure does not shut down the server.
Remote management tools allow remote maintenance and even cold boot capability
But of course, all of this adds to the expense. Balancing the cost vs. performance equation can only be made once the medium and long term goals of the business are defined.