Servers Designed to Empower
Small Businesses
Your Trusted Guide to Small Business Servers
Servers Designed to Empower Small Businesses
Servers Designed to Empower
Small Businesses
Your Trusted Guide to Small Business Servers
Let’s take a closer look at these types of servers.
Servers can be mounted within a server rack and are often used in enterprise-level computing environments and data centers. Entry-level rack servers provide a foundational start. Allowing you to enter at the base level with a strong foundation that can scale from a starter unit to an entire server room as needs grow.
3 key features rack servers provide small business:
- Support various needs for memory, storage, and graphics.
- Higher performance processors and more memory provide better performance with graphics and networking.
- Fast deployment while increasing access to performance abilities over numerous workloads, allowing them to grow with your company.
Lenovo rack servers offer a range of solutions to meet small business needs. Let our experts offer insight into choosing the model that is right for you.
Tower servers come in various sizes to fit most needs. Mini-towers are beneficial to small businesses, though larger rack-capable platforms are also available. Tower servers provide good performance capacity for small businesses, and their infrastructure and design are reliable.
3 essential tower server features for small business applications:
- Entry-level servers for small companies and those growing.
- Good functionality for decentralized offices or remote office setups.
- Ability to handle numerous tasks, including email serving, database management, and filing and printing needs.
With Lenovo tower servers, you have the flexibility to choose the right type and size associated with your business. Explore our options to buy one now or let us offer guidance comparing your options.
A compact server is just as it sounds. It is smaller in size and more modular in design. This allows it to fit the functional needs of a small business but also uses far less space. Most have a streamlined and more efficient design to fit into tighter spaces.
3 key features of compact servers for small business uses:
- Lower power consumption requirements are common in this type of server.
- Data storage and file sharing functionality, note storage limitations can apply (large-scale computations are more limited).
- Centralizing file storage with computing capacity to meet project workloads or automate tasks.
A scalable storage server refers to any server that can be increased in workload and size to meet a small business's needs over time. They are a good option for enterprise-level task management as well as high-density workloads. These types of servers are best for data-intense applications where more functionality is necessary.
3 core features of scalable storage servers ideal for small business server needs:
- Ability to grow with the business and needs.
- Flexible, multiple storage configurations to provide specific management of your tasks and needs.
- Potential to increase the data capacity while using a single repository, limiting the need for multiple sentinel servers.
A network attached storage (NAS) device provides cloud-based access to stored documents and files. It is linked over an internet connection. It is a type of dedicated storage server designed to support storage through network access.
3 specific features of NAS devices for small business applications:
- Centralized and shareable data storage for small businesses or business teams within the company.
- File-dedicated storage device that helps make data continuously available for anyone on that network.
- Interconnected server machines and client machines that will send requests to servers.
Let’s take a closer look at these areas.
A small business storage server should incorporate the right level of storage for your needs. Storage is generally the most important priority when selecting the servers businesses need for daily tasks.
2 specific storage considerations for small business servers:
- Consider the type and volume of data collected to determine the right storage.
- Remember that storage capacity also impacts your business' ability to duplicate and back up your data.
A small business network server must provide the type and accessibility for your business. This should include meeting uptime requirements and performance tasks associated with your business operations.
2 factors to consider about small business server accessibility:
- Choose network servers for small businesses that promote ample accessibility for all necessary hardware to keep your business operational.
- Consider the need to collect, analyze, and store data for decision-making.
Choose a computer server for small offices or other small business applications that align with your connectivity objectives. Having all your applications and systems running is essential to keeping your business running.
2 factors to consider for small business server connectivity:
- Some servers enhance provisioning for extra network bandwidth when necessary. This can better support workloads during critical periods.
- Choose a higher level of connectivity in situations where you need the best small business server for remote access or to run several computers.
Another key factor to think about when comparing the best servers for small businesses is how manageable they are. Simplified management tends to be best for small businesses that will not have a full team to manage the servers full-time. For example, embedded or automated management software is a necessary feature of a small office server.
2 core components important to small business server management:
- Choose a system that provides automation whenever possible. This will free up your time and let the system handle mundane tasks such as oversight.
- Manageability is also important for businesses that do not plan to hire a dedicated IT management team but need to ensure easy but reliable operation.
Renting or Owning a Server
Businesses can rent a server for a monthly price or purchase a server. Each of these areas offers options depending on the company's needs.
Contracts can vary, but typically, you pay one fixed monthly price for power, hardware, cooling, and software. You also get on-site support and the option to take advantage of hardware improvements over time, keeping costs lower. However, renting a server means no physical access to your data.
You pay a single upfront payment to purchase the hardware to operate your own server. You need IT administration, maintenance, and your own security to maintain full physical access to your data.
Start by analyzing your existing network and the challenges you're experiencing with functionality, security, and accessibility. Then, think about the future. As your operations scale over the next months to years based on your business projections, determine what your future needs are likely to be. That could influence how you expand your current data environment. This may include additional hardware, cooling methods, personnel to manage more expansive operations, and connectivity.
Once you are configured, the next step is to handle the actual server installation. Room security, location, data backup plans, connectivity, physical installation, ongoing power usage, and other factors must be considered. Once installed, establish a secure connection to your network with your server. Then, customize and configure the server to support the data environment needs of your small business.
Enable remote access for your workforce, which will allow your data to be shared within the server environment. To do this safely, establish authentication requirements for each of the employees who will have access to your server.
During this configuration process, backup your data to a secondary accessible resource to prevent any data loss during the setup process. You will also want to think about data storage redundancy such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) strategies that back up within a server or a group of servers.
Each of your machines will need an administrative account to enable remote accessibility and allow all computers to communicate through the server.
Once fully set up, you can upload any applications or software that you are running with your business management. When you upload all your management software to the server, it runs seamlessly and allows each of your applications and machines to interact without limitations.
With a server, you gain a single solution that will handle nearly all the critical IT tasks and functions your business needs.
7 critical IT tasks and functions a centralized server offers small businesses:
- Email management
- File and printer sharing
- Consolidation of internet connectivity
- Internal website development
- Backup and restore data
- Mobile device support
- Remote access monitoring solutions
Depending on the types of servers you select for small businesses, you could have a single, robust solution to manage it all in one place.
Another benefit is that servers allow you to access those you want and provide. This keeps your company data secure even when you have teams working remotely. However, your IT teams can still add users or streamline permissions as needed.
Another benefit of having a server for small businesses is that it provides flexibility in sharing applications and can grow with your business as needed. You can organize data in one location, share it in a way that works for your business, and manage that data over time as your business continues to grow.
Servers give your team more control over the most important data available. When you own your own server, no one else has access, and that means you control who gets access. It allows you to add the level and type of security protection you need over time, including scaling firewalls and virus protection.