4 Things to Look for When Buying a New Server

As your business grows, so does the need to expand your network. If your IT infrastructure is not meeting your company's growing needs, then shopping for a new server is in your future. Servers are highly configurable and customizable to meet the specific needs of your business. Here are 4 things to consider when shopping for a new server.

Your Needs
Servers are not a one-size-fits-all product. Technically, you can buy a basic server unit like a tower PC and use it for a variety of tasks, but your workload will dictate what kind of server will be best for your needs. Try to get an idea of the demands you will be placing on your server, this way you won't overpay with something bigger than what you need. For example, if you're just going to use your server to host a single business application, then a light server will work great and may cost you less than $500. If you have more intense workloads, like hosting a highly-trafficked website, then you will want to go with a higher-end server.

Scalability
You will also want to leave room for future growth and consider a server that's scalable to grow as you do. It is more economical to add RAM and CPU to a server that you already own, instead of buying one light server unit after another, or overpaying for a server that's bigger than what you need.

Environment
Matching the right server with the correct environment is important to ensure that the server gets used properly. For example, there are many servers that are designed to fit snugly inside racks. Before purchasing one of these servers, you will first want to own one of these racks, and have an open slot available. Servers also put out extra heat, are loud, and need a clean and open space for good airflow. Make sure you have a good spot picked out for your server before you bring it home.

Data Redundancy/Fault Tolerance
You will want to pick out a server that is configured to meet your company's fault tolerance. Take into consideration how demanding and urgent your server needs are by asking yourself how tolerant you are to downtime. If you're business will be hit hard with even a little bit of downtime, then you will want to go with a server that can be configured for data redundancy. This means having extra hard drive space to incorporate backup measures like RAID formatting, a practice that writes a mirrored copy of your data on a second drive. To give your old and new servers the best data backup solution possible, you will want to include a backup and disaster recovery solution from Directive.

There are several other things you will want to consider before purchasing a new server. It's a major purchase that will affect your entire IT infrastructure, and having knowledgeable IT experts like the technicians at Directive help you pick out the perfect server and make your operations run smoother. You may not even need to buy a new server, ask us about a process called server virtualization that takes advantage of your underutilized servers by consolidating your older units into your new ones, which can save you big money. To find out all of your options when shopping for a new server, call Directive at 607.433.2200.