One of the most crucial parts of any business is IT. Choosing the right server type for your business can be a time-consuming and difficult process. It’s important to understand what you need before you invest in a server that may not work for your needs.
It’s also important to take into account how many people will be using the server and how often it will be used. If you have too few people or if they only use it once in a while, then a cheaper solution might work better than a more expensive one. Here are some things to consider when choosing the best server type for your business.
Choose between an on-site, hosted cloud, or hosted bare metal server.
There are many different types of servers for various business needs, but they typically fall under the umbrellas of on-site, hosted cloud, or hosted bare metal servers.
On-site servers
An on-site server is fairly self-explanatory – you install all of the necessary hardware on your business premises and manage it with an IT team. It’s a good choice for startups where the company doesn’t have much capital or budget. Businesses that need low-cost servers are likely to want to use on-site servers.
Bare metal servers
Bare metal servers are similar to on-site servers, but they’re typically hosted in a data center. You get complete customization and exclusive access to the bare metal server, so you aren’t sharing the hardware resources with any other customers, like you would on a cloud platform.
Pricing for bare metal servers varies by numerous factors, such as hardware you want installed, the amount of technical support you need, bandwidth usage, and other little things. But many providers like Maxihost bare metal hosting offer usage-based billing, so you can pay as you go.
Cloud servers
Hosted cloud servers are typically offered as a service platform, whether they be SaaS (software-as-a-service), IaaS (infrastructure-as-a-service), or PaaS (platform-as-a-service). They are servers managed by a cloud company, and the software they run is usually part of the service being offered by the cloud provider.
For example, Dropbox could be simultaneously considered an IaaS and a PaaS, because it offers all the infrastructure services with additional platform features.
How to pick an appropriate pricing plan:
Establish your IT budget
Before you start looking into your options, you’ll need to establish your IT budget and ensure you have the means to purchase the server you need.
Although the price of server hardware has come down considerably, choosing the wrong one can cost you thousands of dollars. You also don’t want to skimp on your IT budget either and regret it later.
Consulting with your company’s IT team (if you have one) will be helpful in coming up with realistic evaluations for what sort of hardware would be most beneficial to your business, and whether you can allocate the funds for it.
Your IT department can help you establish a budget based on their experience and needs. If you’ve never been involved in the procurement of an IT system before, it can be an overwhelming task.
Evaluate your company’s needs and expectations
There are two distinct types of server platforms that your business could use – servers that are suited for web hosting, and servers that are suitable for storing critical data.
For web hosting, the kind of hardware you’ll need depends on your website’s nature and content. You’ll need a decent CPU for the server that is hosting your website and a good amount of RAM for storing its static content. Most business websites won’t be graphically intensive, so you won’t need a lot of storage space or processing power for a web server.
On the other hand, if your business needs to perform intensive data analysis or machine learning for artificial intelligence, you’ll require more powerful hardware.
Understand what you’ll be receiving and what you will need to provide
Once you’ve established your budget, it’s time to do some research. You’ll want to study various information sources, such as hardware and IT service providers, about your specific needs and requirements.
Before signing anything, it’s critical to have a solid understanding of what you will be receiving. Don’t blindly sign a contract with the idea that a server is a server, and that’s it. If you don’t have an in-house IT team, for example, you’ll likely want to go with a provider that offers IT support, or consider hiring a managed IT service to help you with implementation.
Conclusion
Ultimately, you want to consult with people familiar with server technology and your business industry before making a final decision. There are various services and offerings on the market that may work perfectly for you, and many of these have pricing plans that are well within your budget.