We are professionals in our field and have very high expectations of the consultants we use. I can highly recommend IT Leaders to all other business owners looking for a no fuss, professional IT...

Neil Paulsen

How a Micro Business Benefits from a Windows 2003 SBS Server

We get asked all the time by micro businesses why they would want to get a Server. Servers can be purchased for as little as $3000, and the costs can be easily financed.

There are very good reasons to get one once your business reaches a certain stage. The article below assumes you might currently be using a Windows XP computer as a 'server' of sorts - by using it to share files and printers.

A Server Adds Reliability

It is highly likely that if any single component failed within your current shared computer (e.g power supply, hard drive, motherboard, etc) your files would be unavailable for however long it took to diagnose and repair/replace the failed component. This could potentially cost your company tens (or even hundreds if you have a lot of staff) of lost man hours in productivity while the repair / restore from backup to another machine is taking place.

Proper server hardware would alleviate this issue by maintaining redundant hardware for critical internal devices. A failure of one device would result in a notification, but the system would continue to operate and serve your business.

This is also why it is generally not worth buying VERY cheap server hardware - because it usually has no redundant devices and is just a glorified PC.

A Server Gives Scalability

Using a Windows XP Pro computer as a server has a hard-coded limit of 10 users able to simultaneously access it, and in most cases, the machine will start to respond sluggishly with more than 4 users accessing it.

As your business expands you will require a machine that can expand to meet your new requirements and not need to be replaced - proper server hardware and software would ensure that your business could grow without these critical operational limitations. Servers are also easier to upgrade in terms of disk space, access speeds and remote access.

A Server Add Seamless Connectivity (remote and email)

A proper Windows 2003/2008 Server would allow you to have (by default) two remote users, with the option to add as many remote users as you require in the future by way of Remote Desktop licences or 3rd party software in the case of Small Business Server.

For example, remote branches could upload relevant information on a daily or even hourly basis to your server, managers, field staff or teleworkers (or all staff if you prefer) would be able to work remotely with the files on your server, and access their company email from any web browser, at any time of day, anywhere in the world. This includes calendars, contacts and email history.

A Server Improves Collaboration

Within a business with no server, the simplicity of electronic collaboration within your organisation is heavily restricted. For example, you cannot see the Outlook Calendars (diaries) of your staff, and any email you send them has to first go out through the Internet, halfway across the country to your email servers, then back in through your Internet connection to the person sitting just across the room from you! Very inefficient, and can slow your Internet speed to a crawl.

A proper server system with Microsoft Exchange Server installed would allow you to harness the full power of email collaboration, including shared calendars, shared contact lists, group emails, and many more efficiency features that would quickly become a part of your day to day operations once they were available for you to utilise.

ActiveSync is now part of Microsoft Exchange, and allows 'smart' mobile phones to automatically sync email, calendars and contacts wirelessly back to your Exchange Server. Imagine being able to take a call and make a sales appointment while on the run, and then pop that appointment into your phone calendar and know that it will automatically update your Outlook Calendar with the booking within minutes.

With Activesync, all your communication essentials are at your fingertips and you no longer have to be glued to your desk waiting for an email, or struggling to keep your phone's contacts in sync with your Outlook contacts.

A Server Makes for Faster Expansion

With a server in place, adding new staff and computers can be highly automated. Creating network share mappings, installing printers, adding email addresses installing antivirus, setting up a facility to fax straight from within Word or other programs, all of this can be done using scripts and other tools to speed up deployment of new staff and equipment.

A Server Allows Centralised and Automated Backup Systems

When not having a server in a business, there is a tendency to store data all over the place, and not have it properly backed up against deletion, corruption, fire and theft.

Without a server centralised email system like Microsoft Exchange, backing up company email is difficult and unreliable. Are YOUR emails currently backed up?

A proper server with Microsoft Exchange installed would allow full centralisation of email and fully automated backup and notification reporting in the event of any backup failure, as well as automated daily reminders should any physical procedures need to be run (e.g. changing backup tapes or hard drives).

An example of how this could be useful is that if a staff member's laptop was destroyed or stolen, that person could simply utilise any other workstation or laptop and all of the users email would automatically appear on the new machine (after a 5 minute initial configuration). In your current scenario, if a laptop is destroyed the staff member would more than likely lose all of their existing email, and probably a lot of other data that wasn't properly backed up.

Important Notes:

If you have found this article useful, you should also read our other article on What You Must Know Before Buying a Server.

The 5 points listed above are only some of the benefits a proper server infrastructure can bring to your organisation; there are many more. IT Leaders is happy to provide a quote for a full server hardware/software/installation package if you decide to pursue this option.

Be aware that Servers do need regular maintenance, and having centralise backups and antivirus and other facilities are only good protection if they are checked regularly. If you are interested in protecting your business against the threats of technology AND making it more productive and profitable, then please read about IT Leaders DRIVE IT Management Plans.