Making the Most of Computer Servers

Getting your computer servers to work for you
By B. Lumadue Making the most of computer servers means getting the best computer server for your present and future needs. With increasing technology costs, it's important to get a server that will last, instead of finding out in a few years that your server no longer meets your needs.

It's important to do your research when it's time to buy a new server to make sure it has everything you need for your business. Here are some things to consider to make sure you can make the most small business servers:

1. Do a careful comparison of suppliers of computer servers to determine what technologies are important to your organization.

2. Consider moving to a rack environment to save space and get organized.

3. Keep your servers running efficiently with upgrades, parts and quality data backups.

Compare computer server manufacturers and models

With so many server manufacturers and models to choose from, deciding on the right server for your business can seem overwhelming. A site that enables you to enter information about your computing needs is a great first step for choosing a server.
Try:  The server compare feature at Jupitermedia's Server Watch is a helpful tool for comparing servers from various vendors. The Hewlett-Packard server buying guide allows you to select the right server based on the operating system, applications, number of users and level of use that the server must support. IBM offers detailed comparisons between its servers and competing servers from other manufacturers.

Organize PC servers with rack equipment

Rackmount servers are a great way to save space and organize your servers. Once you decide on a rack configuration, commit to changing over old servers and equipment to rackmount options. To make the most of a rack system, make sure you get a rack with enough space to hold present and future equipment.
Try:  Rackmount Solutions offers a wide range of racks and enclosures from 14 to 48U. Rackmount Equipment offers rack mount monitors and drawers that consolidate a keyboard and monitor into one space. Get the right cooling, like air conditioners from American Power Conversion (APC) that can be installed in racks. 42u offers a variety of cooling and ventilation solutions.

Find upgrades and parts for new and used computer servers

One way to make the most of your server is to keep it running for a long time. Servers like file servers and database servers, where processing is done on the client side, don't require high levels of processing or memory. In these cases, you can keep older servers running longer as long as data is backed up and supplies for repairs and upgrades are available.
Try:  Kingston Technology offers guaranteed system-specific server memory for many manufacturers and models, along with free technical support and a lifetime warranty. Newegg carries a wide variety of server memory. Drive Solutions features SCSI hard drives from several manufacturers. Server Parts Warehouse offers a wide range of parts for Dell, HP, Compaq, IBM and other servers.

Perform regular backups on small business computer servers

Reliable backup software will keep your data safe. It's crucial to do daily backups and test the backup system frequently, especially if you're running an older server.
Try:  Backup Exec from Symantec is a leading data protection software package for physical and virtual server environments. Acronis offers Windows server backup, with application and database support, full recovery and the ability to restore data to a new server.

• Use a firewall and virus protection to keep network servers safe and secure.