Do I Need A Windows Server?    

With Windows 2008 installed, your business breathes a little easier. Things run smoother within your business.

That sounds suspiciously like my gym membership card. Once purchased, effort is still required to get it to a functional level.

Unfortunately many businesses will attempt a DIY with their Microsoft server, unless professional level, in house expertise is available, it will nearly always end in failure. Of course the purchaser usually will not have enough knowledge to realise its a failure.

They will see the $899 servers from Dell and the credit card is whipped out before any thought has been given. The cost for setup has not been factored into the purchase and the business owner has set themselves up for a great deal of disappointment.

Some of the computers these big companies label as servers are not fit for the title, they are underpowered and probably should be relegated to homework duties for the kids.

We often walk into a businesses where we find the business server is not using any of the functionality that sets it apart from a workstation. The owner or manager has done their best with the skills they possess and has after many painful hours managed to share the files out to everyone, job done.

These are the benefits that a server can provide to your business if setup correctly:

1. Standardisation and centralisation of vital data.
2. Effective backup systems.
3. Collaboration - sharing of calendars, task lists, appointments etc.
4. Remote access to all of your information from anywhere with a internet connection.
5. Lower IT support costs through easier management (from an IT perspective)
6. Centralised printing.
7. Give a much more professional image to customers, eg: centralised signatures.
8. Comply with new laws and regulations regarding digital information management.
9. Get the most power from your Blackberry and other mobile technology.
10. Centralised Anti-Virus management with full reporting capabilities.
11. Centralised Exchange Server Email system for your entire business.
12. Makes it much easier to take on extra employees.
13. Security of your data.
14. Puts you in control of your information.

We hear this all the time, for businesses that have 2 or less workstations then this is probably OK. Once you get to the level of 3 workstations then you will start to struggle, once you hit the 5 workstation mark, the time to maintain will be very high compared to a Windows server. Being able to secure information like payroll and HR information will be almost impossible on a workstation.

It all depends on the size of your business. For a 5 user setup, assuming you have been in business a while without appropriate guidance in areas of IT. Expect to pay around the $10,000 mark for a Windows server, this includes installation and the time it takes to fix up all the problems in your existing network. For a 10 user system, you would be looking at around $15,000 and for a 20 user system, you would be looking at $18-$20,000.

These are realistic, real world figures for a capable Windows server. You can get a basic server for much, much less than that, however the chances of it being setup correctly and having good performance reduce for every dollar you save.