Why Should Businesses Have a Server?

Does your small business have a server? Small businesses that do not have a server tend to be prone to many different types of problems within their network. Many problems small businesses have with sharing data, keeping data safe from data loss or corruption, and general security can all be solved by adding a dedicated server to your network. Generally speaking a business that does not have a server leaves themselves open to a tremendous amount of risk. Many businesses we run into are trying to host their companies data off of one computer (usually the owners computer) which he is usually complaining is slow.

Not only does the owner usually complain of speed/performance issues but users are often unable to access data they need from his computer because the shares are broke and they do not know how to fix them. If they do know how to fix them its because they have had to do it everyday for an extended period of time because the systems are so poorly configured. Having a server in place can solve both of these problems by freeing the owners computer from the burden of sharing the company data and a server allows sharing to be configured properly so that it is reliable. Businesses that do not have a server in place are relying on home user grade sharing practices that often break or have problems in the business world because they were not designed with business in mind. The major issue that having a server mitigates is data loss. Workstations generally have only one hard drive. When that hard drive fails the company is completely down and many times data is unable to be recovered without spending an exorbitant amount of money. Servers on the other hand handle data storage in a different manner. For data storage a server uses whats called RAID. A RAID Array is a set of hard drives that when configured properly offers a certain amount of redundancy depending on the number of hard drives in the array. What this means is that a business with a server in place can continue to function with hard drives failing on a server provided the server does not have too many hard drives fail at once. When a hard drive fails on a server it can be replaced while the company continues to work preventing downtime and data loss. Businesses also do not understand the security risks involved in using workstations to host their data from. Lets say that your office is broken into and they take your workstations. The criminals now have all of your company data. This is a scary though for any business that hosts confidential data such as client account numbers, social security numbers, etc. on their network. With a server not only should a business have this locked in a server room but its also much more challenging for someone to gain access to the data unless they work in the IT industry specifically. Workstations are as easy to get into as a password reset disk. Some business don't even use passwords making data that more accessible. Servers help to prevent all of this by using a domain. When a server with a domain is in place each computer must authenticate to it in order to log in. This mitigates unauthorized access of the machine. The other benefit is that all user data should be stored on the server which is locked in your server room so if someone manages to steal some workstations, no big deal, your data is not accessible to them. ABC Computer Solutions has installed servers for many businesses is Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. If your business does not have a server in place you should really consider having one as they can great improve reliability, authorized accessibility, and general functionality of your company's network. www.abccomputersolutionstoledoohio.com

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