The Value of a Server in Small Business

Computing has changed our lives more than any other innovation in modern history. Yet, so many small businesses work nearly the same as they did in the early 90's.. Many do not even utilize a server. Why is that? There are thousands of benefits going unused, simply through lack of industry knowledge.

The server. Most people have no idea what this means, other than some obscure magic box that makes things work. Simply put, a server is any computer that provides a service to other computers on the network. More specifically for the small business owner, a server would be a beefy computer that is running Microsoft Small Business Server software, which provides a slew of amazing benefits. First off, it gives everyone in your office a centralized location to store and share files. Furthermore, a local server can run all of your printers, making it amazingly easy for every computer in the office to share every printer. Print that expense report straight to your accountant's desk! This is just the beginning. The server provides you a web page, allows you to have internal email with your own company name, a document management system, a backup system for your desktops, and even allows you to control your desktop computer from home, or anywhere, without having to pay for an expensive monthly service. These things
The Value of a Server in Small Business

Computing has changed our lives more than any other innovation in modern history. Yet, so many small businesses work nearly the same as they did in the early 90's.. Many do not even utilize a server. Why is that? There are thousands of benefits going unused, simply through lack of industry knowledge.

The server. Most people have no idea what this means, other than some obscure magic box that makes things work. Simply put, a server is any computer that provides a service to other computers on the network. More specifically for the small business owner, a server would be a beefy computer that is running Microsoft Small Business Server software, which provides a slew of amazing benefits. First off, it gives everyone in your office a centralized location to store and share files. Furthermore, a local server can run all of your printers, making it amazingly easy for every computer in the office to share every printer. Print that expense report straight to your accountant's desk! This is just the beginning. The server provides you a web page, allows you to have internal email with your own company name, a document management system, a backup system for your desktops, and even allows you to control your desktop computer from home, or anywhere, without having to pay for an expensive monthly service. These things
only scratch the surface of what a local server can do for your office, and require very little computer repair or consulting.

What about control? Wouldn't it be great to have complete control of your internet and network? Why is it that we still are bombarded by advertising, spy-ware, explicit material, and slowness when using our expensive internet? A small business owner can call for repair or computer consulting every time he has a problem, but why not have complete control and accounting of internet usage from the first place? An internet server, or enterprise-router, can be purchased for relatively little, and solves all these problems. One can block all explicit websites (very smart to minimize legal liabilities,) block spam, advertising, spyware, viruses. An internet server can even link two remote offices in to one network (even your house with the office!) It is just another example of affordable technology that is going vastly unused by those whom are ignorant of its existence.

When is the last time you actually evaluated technology and what it can do for you in your home and business life? Things have changed amazingly over just the past ten years. The internet has evolved in to something completely different than what it was, with pictures replacing text and video replacing pictures, and office computing has changed just as much. To stay ahead of competition, it is smart to have a conversation with an IT consultant every now then just to see what they can do to improve your business. You might be surprised at what you learn, and how much financial sense it makes.