What is a Server?
A server is a computer program or a device that processes and responds to requests from users. The server will provide the information to the computers that connect to it, also called client systems. These clients can access the server by using a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), like the Internet. The users can access files, programs, and other data from the server.
Who Needs a Server?
The current businesses deal with general as well as heavy computing applications. So, they require a server to perform the daily, and other complex tasks effectively. There is a flexibility of choosing a particular server as per the business needs and budget limitations.
However, multiple shared and dedicated servers are available on various online websites and allow building the required applications and performing the tasks quickly. If you do not have minimum technical knowledge in managing the server functionalities, it’s recommended to start using the shared server, which is available at much lower costs than the dedicated space. But, you still get access to better performance while using the server for different purposes.
Why Do You Need a Server?
Servers are responsible for many purposes of business functions, including controlling access to a network, managing files and printing, sending or receiving emails, or hosting a website. For example, some servers deliver business solutions for specific tasks, i.e. dedicated servers. Most of the server types belong to the shared space, which provides services, such as FTP, DNS, e-mail, and hosting multiple websites for a web server.
Based on your business needs and customized requirements, the servers will be set up for shared or private access. Servers can also be used from remote locations, and handle intensive workloads without compromising network connectivity.
What are Server Types?
– Tower Servers
A tower server can be stand-alone and doesn’t require to be positioned in a cabinet. If you don’t have a server room, a tower server is a good choice. The additional mounting hardware or cooling equipment is not needed for tower servers, making them less expensive than the racks or blades.
Although tower servers are cost-effective, they provide more processing power and support for virtualization needs.
– Rack Server
Rackmount servers require a dedicated server room and are installed in a cabinet that holds multiple servers. If you’ve multiple servers in the data centre, rackmount servers will minimize the use of space. Many growing organizations use the racks to offer more powerful systems with higher processing power than the towers.
– Blade Server
Large enterprises opt for blades owing to their higher density and networking. These blade servers are space-efficient than the racks, with their extra sleek designs. They deliver accelerated performance at higher processing speeds with less cabling. Blades simplify the administration tasks with automated monitoring and management. They are an ideal choice for advanced or complex workloads.
How to Choose the Right Server?
When selecting a server, many factors are to be considered. The importance of certain features is evaluated based on use cases while choosing a particular server.
It’s also essential to consider the security capabilities, including the protection, detection and recovery features to ensure the data security for your business-critical data. The choice of disk capacity and disk types is considered if a server relies on internal storage as it can significantly influence the data resilience and input/output functions.
Which Server Suits for My Business (Small, Medium and Large Scale Business)
– Cost
The cost of investment plays a vital role in every business. So, it’s crucial to determine the budget before purchasing the server. You can prefer a server that suits your business needs and budget restrictions. It’s better to validate the budget for an effective decision of choosing the server.
– Brands
Servers are available from the leading brands, like IBM, Cisco, Dell, HP, etc. And can be customized too. Each brand comes with different options, from which you can find out the required type of server to meet small, medium, or large business scale needs.
– Processor
Processor is another significant component to ensure high-end performance for servers. You must select a suitable processor based on its supported cores and threads to handle memory-intensive, graphic, or heavy storage applications. Intel Xeon or AMD processors are available in the market that support a range of workloads corresponding to all kinds of organizations.
– Memory
The selection of an appropriate RAM capacity of a server would lead to optimum performance. Based on the level of business tasks, choose the RAM type, its capacity, and speeds. Smaller businesses involve less complex loads that don’t need substantial RAM capacities. Purchase a server that allows scaling the RAM on-demand for large enterprises.
– Hard Drive
You need to pay attention to the server’s business operations when selecting the hard drive. Different hard drives are available, such as SAS, SATA, and SATA RAID editions. SATA RAIDs are enough for small businesses as they don’t require high-speed access and robust storage systems. It’s better to use the SAS drives for medium and large companies that need optimized performance and reliability. You can use a mix of SATA and SAS in some cases.
– Network Card
Different network cards are there, such as ethernet and wireless network cards for communication protocols. The server network card lets you connect with other devices effortlessly without any hassles.
– Operating System
The server operating system can act as the platform to provide the flexibility to run various applications. For example, Linux or Windows servers offer access to the hardware resources that the applications need and enable network connectivity. Here, the applications may be relevant to the database or mail system.
– Backup
If your business deals with large storage applications, buy the server that provides the data backup services to avoid data loss. The server should allow you to recover the data quickly when unexpected disasters occur.
- Conclusion
As digital transformation changes the modern-day businesses, the administration tasks would become simpler and efficient, using servers. However, choosing an ideal server for your business is a challenging task. By following the aforementioned aspects, you can easily select the right server to manage the business operations.