Are you thinking about purchasing a server for your business? As PC Mag points out, "servers can help to streamline a network, especially an expanding one." They can be used in a multitude of ways. They can handle a company's email, databases and website, and can allow for remote access. They can help manage which network users have access to which resources. They can also be used to house files.


Buying a server and the associated accoutrements can also be a headache, however, especially if you're not too experienced in the tech world. Here are a few tips you can keep in mind so that you get what you need, and not a hundred unnecessary digital extras.


Three Things You Should Keep in Mind Regarding What Your Company Needs

• Do you have experienced IT staff on hand? If you have the occasional support call you're going to need to handle, you might want a server with power-on and remote administration capabilities. If you plan on doing it all yourself, you'll want an easy-to-administer server. One example would be the Apple Mac mini with Snow Leopard server.

• If you think your company is going to be growing -- and most companies tend to experience future growth, especially in what they require in data storage -- then look for a server with scalability so that you don't have to start all over with a new model. Not every server that can efficiently serve five employees can be bumped up to support 10.

• Data redundancy and fault tolerance are two things to look for if you're a business that can't afford production interruptions to the server. Redundancy and tolerance help to keep data intact, and servers functioning, even if something like a disk drive failure occurs.

What You Should Know About Server Rack Enclosures

• Server rack enclosures are used to store your computer server equipment. They're specifically manufactured for the purpose of allowing for dense hardware configurations that don't require a ton of space or shelving. Unlike non-server equipment, they can keep temperature and humidity at correct levels.

• If you need more room for cable management, you will want a larger server rack configuration, such as 800 mm wide. Server rack case depths also matter -- most people opt for depths of 900 mm or 1,000 mm.

• Server rack heights are measured by "u" which is 44.45mm. Rack height is typically "u," giving them the name of 19 inch server racks.