Using Server-Based Networks to Meet Your Small Business Challenges

As your small business grows you face all sorts of challenges, but none is more vital than making sure your technology is keeping pace with your success. The individual PCs you've bought along the way may have worked well for you in the past, but building a business around disconnected computers or a small-scale network is no way to position yourself for future growth. It's time to move up to a server-based network with the kind of speed, management and security you need for your business to flourish.

You may be intimidated by the idea of upgrading to a server-based network if you're under the assumption that they're too expensive and challenging to set up, maintain and support. Today's server technology is surprisingly affordable, user-friendly and well worth your attention. You simply can't ignore the business benefits of gaining true control of your data by putting it in one place, managing your staff's access to it and making it secure.

Here are the key benefits a server-based network can bring to your business:

Take advantage of these key benefits to help your business run more smoothly. Learn more below about the key ways a server-based network can address your small business challenges and take your business to the next level.

File Management
Disorganization spells disaster for business. Multiple versions of files reside on PCs around the office, and no one knows where the latest version is. Hard drives are filling up, and archives are burned onto CDs that disappear.

A server stores all your files in one well-organized central location where employees tap into only the files they need and save versions of their work. The current version is always available so you know what's going on, and that tight control frees up hard drive space for everyone. Need even more storage? A server's capacity can be expanded again and again inexpensively as your business grows.

Mobility
You need to be ready to respond to business challenges 24X7, but if your most important work files live on office PCs or don't all fit onto your small notebook PC, then you're out of luck when you're at home or on the road. Do you dare to step away from your desk?
Remote computing takes care of the problem. Once your server is in place and you've set up a Virtual Private Network to access the server via the Internet, your entire office is just a few keystrokes away wherever you go with your notebook PC, giving you and your staff the freedom to work from home or anywhere else. Add wireless connectivity to your network, and you can rearrange the computers and peripherals in your office workspaces to work from any spot whenever you need to.

Collaboration
Working together doesn't just mean sitting in the same office. It means sharing company information remotely to increase overall productivity. Your data is the hub around which your business revolves, so everyone needs to be connected to it and prepared to work together.

In a server-based network, employees can share not only the files they're working on, but also group calendars, contact lists and task lists, not to mention a host of applications designed to be used by groups who want to collaborate on projects, and those groups can even include customers and clients outside of your business who play a role in getting things done. Everyone knows everything, and everyone truly works together. The work stays organized, and projects get completed faster.

Security
How much would a day of downtime cost you? What would you do if your sales orders, client lists, email archives or financial records simply disappeared? Far too often, regular data backup is an afterthought for small businesses, but keep in mind that your data is your business, and you should be doing your utmost to protect it. Servers can be configured to backup your data automatically by creating duplicate hard drives, recording data to tape systems or even copying your files to a secure off-site location.

At the same time, you can tightly control interaction with the Internet. By using multiple levels of access control, data encryption and firewall devices designed to keep intruders and viruses out, you keep your information safe from prying eyes and hack attacks, even when you're enjoying the convenience of a wireless setup in your office.

Performance
A PC is meant to be used by one person, and if you connect five PCs together with a slow peer-to-peer network, every connected user will experience a painful performance hit, with hard drives all around the office, spinning, as employees look for files that could be residing anywhere. The bottom line: if you want your business to speed up, you've got to give it the horsepower it needs.

Servers are designed to be used by a group of people without slowing down, even as the group grows. By storing files centrally and moving commonly used applications from individual desktops to the server itself, performance isn't a problem. Wired or wireless, you'll have the speed you need. Servers have the kind of processing power your team needs to run multiple applications and access many files simultaneously. Dell servers feature Intel® Xeon® family of processors for top performance. Ask Dell to help you choose the processor speed you need to run your business at peak efficiency.

Consult With Dell
Dell provides a wide range of servers, storage options and peripherals to build real networking solutions for real small businesses. What's the perfect network for your business? Just ask. Dell will consult with you from start to finish, analyzing your current needs and your plans for growth, suggesting the appropriate network design, helping you get your network up and running, and supporting it into the future as your business prospers.