How to Choose the Best Server for Your Small Business?
Here are the tips to choose the best server for your small business.
Are you looking for a server for your small business?
Purchasing a server is really a big decision. After all, it is a critical tool for your storage, email, messaging, calendar, databases and print servers. A server also makes it easy for your staff to share data and collaborate.
Therefore, you need to make an informed decision while choosing the right server for your small company. However, it is a bit daunting task as there is plethora of server varieties to choose from. Don’t worry!
Here we will walk through the important considerations so that you can get a clear picture of the server that is a right fit for your business.
What to Expect From Your Small Business Server?
As you have learnt that a server processes a diverse variety of services and applications that are accessed and controlled over the Internet. Being a small business owner, you want your server perform basic yet key functions like…
- Secure email hosting
- Hosting a website or eCommerce store
- Hosting SaaS apps related to CRM, invoice management, employee management and collaboration software.
- Supporting multiple virtual servers
- Supporting business data
- Storing and collaborating on documents
- Providing virtual desktops to your staff
Consider the Sever OS:
MS Windows Server and Linux are the two widely used server operating systems. However, you need to choose the right one between them.
Linux is especially designed for multi user server environments. It is a free OS, meaning that you can download it, modify it and re-distribute it free of cost.
Popular Linux platforms are Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS. But the downside is that it is not a complete OS and requires additional set of software (known as bundles) to meet your functions. On the top of that, it will be difficult for you to find the skilled technicians to handle issues occurring in Linux OS.
Microsoft Windows Server, on the other hand, is a popular server OS and includes server applications like the IIS web server, tools and security tools like firewall. Unlike Linux, it is a user friendly OS and is operated with a GUI rather than with commands.
Shop Around:
Always create a budget for your new server. Shop around to find the servers on reasonable rates.
Which Type of Business Server is Right for Your Business?
- Dedicated server is an onsite server which is idea for high traffic websites, big data analytics, apps with a large numbers of users and high load database or file storage.
- Cloud servers are set in a virtual environment. Clients are required to rent the space rather than purchasing or renting physical servers.
- Hybrid servers give you a facility of both dedicated serves and cloud servers.
Support and Maintenance:
Make sure your server comes with support, maintenance and a guarantee. Take a note of the service level agreement.
With the help of these tips, you can end up with a right server for your small business needs.
