New Year, New Needs: Time for a Server for Your Small Business?

Published on: January 3rd, 2012

This is the time of year when business owners and managers are finalizing their strategies for 2012 and positioning their companies for growth in the coming months.  In today’s world, business growth means technology growth, and a sharp data management process is critical for every company that consist of more than one person. A server may be the best way to share critical information and technology resources such as printers among your staff, and most major computer hardware companies offer servers priced right for a small business budget.

What Does A Server Do?

Servers are specifically designed to provide file storage, file sharing, resource sharing (like printers) and other services to multiple computers. They can also help you:

• efficiently find and manage business-critical information in one consolidated location
• store large chunks of information, enabling individual PCs to perform better
• access up-to-date customer information quickly
• share email and calendaring details between your team
• protect your information by making back-ups easier
• better manage security features and monitor threats to your computer systems
  Basically, a server helps you manage and share information among your staff efficiently and securely.

Is a Server Right for My Business?

Servers aren’t just for large companies with dedicated IT departments.  A small business server can be an ideal tool for a staff as small as 5 people.  Here are some factors that indicate your business may be ready for a server:

• You need to consolidate & arrange your files (you can’t always find what you need when you need it).
• You are worried about whether all of your important files are secure and are being backed up.
• You need to share hardware such as printers and fax machines for two or more computers
• You have employees who travel, frequently telecommute, or work off-site and need to access items that are stored on-site
• You keep adding more files onto your computers and running out of disk space.
• Your business is growing and plans to add new computers and employees or even a second location.

If you decide a server is right for your business, let your specific goals guide which brand and model you purchase.  You may be looking for aggressive growth, stability or even expense reduction this year, so you’ll want to focus on servers with features that will meet those needs.

You’ll also want to have a plan in place for server maintenance and repair with a service provider who has expertise in business computing and can resolve server issues quickly.  When a server goes down, it goes down hard, so anticipating issues rather than reacting to them when they happen will save you time and money.  Our Computer Service Plans offer this level of expertise and service, and have helped countless businesses enhance the benefits of using a server in their business process.

If you’re ready to bring on a server, or have further questions, connect with your local Computer Troubleshooter.