How to setup a server for small businesses

As your business grows and you take on more employees, the time will come where you need a server to keep your www.mcafee.com/activate download office network and business running efficiently. But with a seemingly endless array of choices and important www.mcafee/activate decisions to be made, you might be wondering  www.mcafee.com/activate product key where to start. Luckily, setting up a server for a small business doesn’t have to be difficult.

In this guide, we’ll take you through everything you need to know including what a server is, deciding between hardware or the cloud, www.mcafee.com/activate choosing the right operating system, and the best way to set it all up.

What is a server?

In simple terms, it’s a powerful computer that is used mcafee.com/activate product key to serve information and software to employees, customers, and other computers. For example, if you have five employees in an office each working on a different computer, they should all be able to access the same software and documents. These are served from a central computer rather than having multiple versions of the files stored locally on each machine.

Choosing a server for small businesses

Once you have two or more computers in your business or need remote access to the company network, it’s time to invest in a server www.mcafee.com/activate. Doing so will allow you and your employees www.mcafee.com/activate product key to access software and files from anywhere and give you greater control over access rights to certain information, such as personnel files www.mcafee/activate or payroll data www.mcafee.com/activate download. It will also give you the ability to protect your business information with a dedicated backup and recovery system, as well as allow for easier management of network security. 

Types of server for small businesses

When it comes to choosing a server for a small business, the key question is: what do you need the server to do? In essence, you want mcafee.com/activate product key to allow your business room to grow, but not invest so heavily that you’re overpaying for resources you don’t need.

There are many different types of server and organizations will often use a separate server for each purpose. Most commonly, small business servers are used for:

  • Secure email hosting
  • Website hosting
  • Document storage
  • Ecommerce hosting
  • Hosting line-of-business www.mcafee.com/activate download applications
  • Data backup and recovery.

Proxy servers are worth considering   www.mcafee.com/activate for businesses of any size. By routing web traffic and access through a proxy, your network’s IP addresses www.mcafee/activate are protected from public view (the proxy IP address is shown instead). This anonymity offers your business www.mcafee.com/activate product key an additional layer of security.

Hardware or the cloud – choosing the right server for small business

A crucial decision you will need to make is whether to have a physical server on-premises or opt for a cloud-based solution. There are pros and cons to each approach and what you decide ultimately comes down to the individual  mcafee.com/activate product key needs of your business.

Cloud servers

Cloud-based servers are well-suited to small businesses with limited space and IT resources. While not as fast or efficient www.mcafee.com/activate as a dedicated server, small businesses will likely find that a cloud-based server is ‘fast enough’ and the lower upfront www.mcafee/activate costs make them an attractive option. Cloud hosting also benefits from redundant power supply and network connections, meaning that if there is a power outage or server issue, your network won’t experience any downtime.

On-premise servers

On the other hand, opting to build or buy a physical server comes with a higher upfront cost. But not paying recurring monthly fees www.mcafee.com/activate download may mean that it works out cheaper in the long run, especially as your business grows. You will also have greater control over how it is set up and integrated with your business cyber security solution www.mcafee.com/activate product key. The downside is that you are responsible for the cost of replacement hardware and increased electricity for running and cooling the server 24/7.

Protecting your small business servers

When utilising a server within your operations, it is important to ensure it’s protected. Endpoint security is crucial when trying to keep your network safe from viruses , malware or data breaches. Your server will hold confidential information about your business and its operations, but will also store your employees’ personal data www.mcafee/activate. There are several steps you can take to keep your data secure www.mcafee.com/activate: provide cybersecurity training for any necessary members of staff, use a server antivirus, track user activity, keep your server up-to-date.

Servers for small businesses with Windows

Servers run specialized operating systems that are designed to be robust and able to support many users www.mcafee.com/activate download. The operating system you choose for your server is another important decision. If your business runs on the Microsoft ecosystem www.mcafee.com/activate product key, you may already be familiar with Windows server offerings. 

In particular, Windows Server Essentials (formerly Windows Small Business Server) is widely used in small businesses with fewer than 25 users. Windows server operating systems are often popular with existing Windows users mcafee.com/activate product key as they share much of the same code and look very similar to their non-server counterparts www.mcafee.com/activate.

However, even if you are already running Windows on your PCs, you still have a choice of server operating systems. Other popular options for small businesses:

  • Linux Ubuntu Server
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux
  • CentOS.

Choosing your operating system

If you have not yet chosen an operating system, consider the following factors:

  • Cost. Linux is open-source software and www.mcafee.com/activate download, as such, is often cheaper to run than Windows.
  • User-friendliness.  Think about how easy the operating system  www.mcafee.com/activateis to install and run, especially if you don’t have dedicated IT staff. Windows is a popular choice for this reason as its interface is often familiar. Linux, on the other hand, presents a steeper learning curve.
  • Flexibility. Linux typically offers more mcafee.com/activate product key flexibility and customization options than Windows, but bear in mind that you will need technical expertise www.mcafee.com/activate product key to benefit from this.
  • Support. Microsoft is well-known for its high-quality www.mcafee.com/activate download customer support. As Linux is open-source, you may have to hunt around for support.

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