Strategies: It might be time to get serious about a server
— -- Is it time for you to consider a server for your small business? Do you even know what a server is? Well, in today's business environment, all but the smallest businesses need to find some way to share information, and the time-honored way is to get a company server and network. A server is a master computer where you store the files and programs you need to share among more than one member of your team.
In my own company, years ago, as my business grew, I found myself needing to share files with employees and colleagues. To do so, we'd e-mail a file and then e-mail it back. Deborah handled the billing and banking, and if I needed to know how much money I had or how much a customer had ordered, I had to go use her computer. We had contractors who were working on our projects — our books — and we needed to collaborate. For very big files — that would take a long time to send via e-mail — we'd often copy them on a disk and mail them to a contractor or walk them over to another desk.
At some point, sharing all this information — let's use the geek term "data" — became incredibly clumsy. That's when I first got a "server" and our own company network. And I recently upgraded my server to Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 to get greater stability, more security features, and the ability to have my tech guy handle more maintenance remotely.
"When you look at small business and why they act, there's always a reason," said Russ Madlener, director of the Windows Server Solutions Group at Microsoft. "They never do it just for the sake of technology."
So there's got to be a compelling reason for you to go to the expense and trouble of getting and running a server. "The number one reason for a small business to get a server is to run a line of business application," explained Madlener. "Let's say you're a doctor, lawyer, manufacturer. You need scheduling, working the line, financial software."
According to Madlener, 70% of small businesses don't have a server. And that makes sense, especially if yours is a one- or two-person business. But as you grow, you may find — like me — that you can't operate efficiently without sharing data or programs. "A server gives you centralization of resources, the organization of critical files and data to get more productive," Madlener explained.
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