The ITeam - What We Do Drill-Down: Servers
An adequately provisioned, correctly configured and properly maintained server is a critical component of almost every business office today. From corporate financial data, to email, to customer databases, servers are the repository of mission-critical data to which every business needs ready access in order to function.
As the heart of a corporate network, it is essential that the server be trouble-free and run as efficiently as possible. Server problems usually mean business problems.
In a PULSE environment, the server is the control point for the entire business network. With PULSE, we manage all aspects of a client's infrastructure via server policies, software and other management tools via the server. The result? Leveraging server power to achieve greater levels of efficiency throughout the client network.
The benefit to ITeam clients is a reduction in
administrative overhead and more efficient management of your business network. Client systems (desktops & notebooks) are not managed individually, but as a group. Using standardized group configurations results in a reduction of occurrences of problems caused by outdated or missing system software and an increase in network security. It's all part of the PULSE concept.
Copyright © 2011, Your ITeam, LLC
Because you need to implement a domain
A domain is the way by which a server tells every
network computer which devices are supposed to
be on the network and which therefore be trusted.
All devices that are part of a domain are registered
with the server to that it knows to allow access
and from certain domain devices. A domain is often
required by many centralized database applications
so that the server can properly communicate with
each workstation, but it is also another valuable
layer of security.
Your computers are slow
Two of the most common causes of slow computers
are an old processor and insufficient memory.
Moving applications to a server can allow a user
to take advantage of the improved speed and
performance of a server without requiring an
upgrade to the workstation. The money saved
on workstation upgrades can quickly eclipse the
entire cost of a new server.
You need to centrally manage all computers
Without a server, each employee can only log onto
his/her computer, and when an employee leaves
it becomes difficult or impossible to recover their
password. With a server, all usernames and passwords
are managed from one central location so you can
add, delete, and change the access levels and
passwords without needing to know the old
password.
You have shared applications
A very common method of sharing applications is
to install it on one workstation and “share” it with
other users. Unfortunately, this will ultimately slow
down that user's workstation and limit the abilities
of the application's performance. This can result
in poor performance and a great chance of
long-term failure. Installing shared applications
on a high-performance server allows access to
the application across the network without
workstation performance degradation.
Concerned over viruses and/or spyware
The two ways to keep your computers protected
are either to continually and constantly monitor
each workstation or to install virus/spyware
protection on a server. By using a server,
protection updates are automatically downloaded
to the server, which is then responsible for insuring
that every workstation connected to the network
has the latest protection installed.
You need/want to use Microsoft Exchange
If you have numerous email addresses and/or
you are tired of having to rely on your Email
Service Provider to manage your email hosting
and management.
In addition, Exchange has
many powerful features that can substantially
increase productity and effciency within your
organization.
You are running out of space to store data
Servers offer the flexibility of massive data
storage on redundant and fault-tolerant drives.
So, even if one of the drives fails, the
remaining drives will still contain all of your
data.
The ability to work from home/remotely
In today's work environment, mobility and
accessibility are the name of the game. With
a server in your office, you can easily access
all of your internal data without incurring the
additional monthly cost of a router or remote
access program.
You want your data secure.
Storing sensitive accounting, human resources,
or intellectual property information on your
workstation or even an auxiliary storage device
does not ensure that the data is restricted and
protected. Sever security settings can easily
and effectively limit data access to just certain
people in the office.
You don't want to lose data if something goes wrong
Any reliable computer technician will tell you that backing
up data stored on individual computers is not only
impractical, it's unreliable. Storing all your data on a
server and then backing up all of the data on that server
is more likely to work properly without interruption and
it is also easier to manage. Even if you decide to
back up via an on-line service, backing up one machine
is typically easier and less expensive than backing up
multiple computers.
