June 10, 2006

Picking the RIGHT Server For Your Business Is Important

Picking the right server for your business is important, as you want to ensure that it stays up and running for a LONG time. It's also important that the server has great support. If it has a hardware failure you want to ensure that the vendor can quickly and easily get it up and running again. Of course your local solution provider has a major role to play here as well.

Small Business Computing offers the following tips:

- ohn Nguyen, worldwide channel marketing manager at Tyan Computer agrees that simplicity is important. He recommends SMBs buy blades, if possible, as such systems have no internal storage. The organization can then buy an external array to meet its storage needs and network it to other servers to create an IP SAN.

- Pradeep Parmar, a product line marketing manager within Sun's Systems Group, agrees with Nguyen and Duplessie but adds several other important factors for SMBs to consider: performance, efficiency, flexibility, longevity, reliability and maintenance.

- Tyan's Nguyen stresses that SMBs don't have to buy from one of the big vendors. He suggests three alternatives: They can build the server themselves, buy a bare bones whitebox server and build up from that or buy a configure-to-order (CTO) system from a supply/assembly house (i.e., an outfit that builds entire systems based on customer spec).

- There is no point in buying machines with internal storage unless the firm really believes it will never buy another system. "If you are going to have two or more machines, make sure the storage is external," says Duplessie. "It will cost you a little more up front, but the serviceability and flexibility it will provide will far outweigh the incremental cost."

Many smaller businesses buy traditional PC based servers, but blad servers will save you storage space and give you the flexibility of adding storage as your needs determine.

Read the full Small Business Computing article here.

Read more about network storage here.

0 comments