In a small business, the standard peer-to-peer networking model used in homes very small offices eventually becomes insufficient once user demands-such as access to shared storage drives and printers-increase beyond its capabilities. Your business may need a dedicated server for a variety of reasons. Mainly, businesses use dedicated servers because it’s the best option for large scale operations. However, small businesses can also take advantage of a dedicated server if their profits are high enough to warrant their usage. See, in the hosting genre of business, companies usually choose the hosting option that is closest to their financial bracket. A small business could opt for shared resources but there is always the fear and doubt to deal with in the back of their mind.
You know you need a dedicated server when…
Managing e-mail for an increasing number of people. Many small businesses start out using free cloud-hosted e-mail services such as Gmail™ or Yahoo!® Mail. While they get the job done for offices with few points of contact (1-5 seats), manageability decreases as the number of seats increase. Implement a dedicated server running Microsoft Exchange to meet those e-mail needs and more. An Exchange server eliminates your reliance on Web-based e-mail clients and allows you to easily add in-boxes for an ever-growing office.
Multiple users need to access the same data. Even small businesses need a centralized data storage location. A dedicated storage server is a type of server equipped with a large storage capacity and the software to manage data.
You Start to Use Applications that Require a Secure Database. A database stores information that can be accessed and updated by programs. Storing important data on an unsecured storage solution such as a USB drive introduces risk into your systems.
Managing shared resources across the workspace. Printers, optical disc drives, and programs are a few examples of shared resources. Servers can take over the print sharing duties of a router and also allow for the use of older unsupported printers. While a drive connected to one computer can be shared with the network, it may have a different drive letter for the other computers. A server can assign a drive letter shared by every client computer.
One computer to do the job of multiple systems. A server can assume the functions of some devices, such as the router, the NAS device, backup storage drive, and firewall. With a server, you can virtualize the functions of multiple devices to run simultaneously on the same machine.
If you’re still tangled about your decision, read on for five reasons why a dedicated server might be the best choice for your business.
Better performance
A dedicated server provides an exclusive, isolated platform with no contention for resources. It is for your business’ use and yours alone. This means that your dedicated server will perform faster and more efficiently than a cloud-based option, which is not exclusive; a cloud-based provider’s resources are shared between all of its users.
Better value for money
Dedicated web servers are the most cost-effective option – and value for money, of course, is an important factor in any business decision. While it may appear to be more expensive than a cloud-based server, a dedicated server offers a much higher amount of resources, and the price is highly reasonable once you realize the true value offered by this type of solution.
Ability to purchase specific server hardware
With a dedicated web server, you are free to choose your own specifications. You can select exactly what sort of hardware you want according to the particular requirements of your website and its content and traffic.
Easily customizable
There’s a lot of flexibility in what you can do with a dedicated web server. It’s a customizable solution, which is what you want as a growing, changing business.
Compliance and security benefits
A dedicated server is a single-tenant solution, not a shared solution like a cloud-based server. If your business places high importance on compliance and security (and it should), a dedicated server is the only choice for you.
These are some of the key reasons why you should opt for a dedicated server. Apart from these, you can also enjoy improved technical support while opting for a dedicated hosting services, since a group of experienced and trained professionals will help you solve all sorts of technical problems easily and quickly.
Saumya Sinha
