Sometimes You Need A Pro
Buying and installing a new server
 So, you're going to run
to your favorite PC store and slap in a new server? Unless you are a
certified IT person, allow us to politely offer this piece of
advice:
"No slapping without a
professional, please."
In past issues of InSwift
Network News we have offered advice on when to upgrade
your server.
This time we focus on avoiding the big mistakes once you do. There
are decisions to be made about hardware, software, network
connections and, perhaps, most important of all, whom to entrust
with getting it up and on its feet.
Make the right choice,
and your new server will be running smoothly from the first day. Make the
wrong choice and it won't. Committed "do-it-yourselfers", who
pride themselves in being "do-it-yourselfers", are inevitably the
most likely to end up calling in the cavalry.
These
are a few ways you can really screw it up:
1. Not having a
plan.
What sort of hardware and software should you select, and what do
you want the server to do? Make a wish list for your server needs.
Do you want to make certain tasks easier for your employees? Is
there a specific capability you need that will impact your
customers? With this list in hand, you'll be better equipped to talk
to a local tech solution provider about what best fits your needs.
2. Not hiring a pro.
You should know us well enough by now to understand we don't often
promote our services within our newsletter advice columns. But, this
time it's imperative to commit yourself to a professional to set up
your server. There's no getting around this fact.
When choosing someone,
be sure he or she has a small business focus, the experience and
certifications in small business systems and the ability to meet
your reliability criteria. A competent IT consultant will set you up
with a server, document how the server works, and how it will meet
your needs. A server guru will also advise about likely future needs
— and prepare you for them.
3. Not considering
future needs
If you don't hire a pro to help you choose the most technical
requirements, keep in mind you're going to need to some "head room"
as you grow.
Any good server should
have redundant components and be built more robustly than a desktop
computer. In general, a server should have multiple hard drives, the
ability to support multiple processors, support for larger amounts
of RAM than desktops, and fast network cards. It may also have
redundant power supplies, redundant drive controllers, and a back-up
system.
The presence of
multiple hard drives is probably the most important feature. With
multiple hard drives, it is possible to set up the computer so that
a copy of each piece of data is kept on separate drives. That way,
if one hard drive fails, no data is lost.
4. Not playing it
safe.
You are going to spend a fair amount of time deciding what kind of
server to buy. But how about security to prevent hackers and viruses
from infiltrating your system? Remember, your server is going to be
connected to the Internet, and will be vulnerable to hackers.
If you embark on your
server adventure with a roadmap and all the right resources, you'll
find that bringing a server online isn't so difficult. Take
shortcuts by doing it yourself , and you could end up in a long hard
struggle.
In other words, this is
no time to go solo — even if you want to save a little money.
Reprinted with permission from DLP
Technologies
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