What Is an Enterprise Server and How to Choose It?

With business upgrading, enterprises' demands for high-performance and secure network connections are also increasing. For a long time, enterprise servers are always one of the most important factors affecting data storage and network performance. So, what is an enterprise server? And how to choose a suitable one for companies? Keep reading to find more details.

What Is an Enterprise Server?

An enterprise server usually refers to computers that contain programs meeting the collective demands of enterprises instead of a single user, organization, department, or specialized applications.

Historically, mainframe-sized computers have been used as enterprise servers. As they became smaller and capable of managing the same enterprise-class software assets, these computers were called enterprise servers. Besides, an enterprise server can be both the computer hardware and its main software, the operating system. It also allows users to monitor and configure the entire system.

Typically, enterprise servers have reasonable data conflation, seamless connectivity, flexible topology and enhanced security, which greatly improves network and desktop performance. However, it's not very easy for enterprises to make a suitable choice, especially with so many server types and networking options. Here are what you should consider when buying an enterprise server.

How to Choose a Suitable Enterprise Server?

Server Operating Environment

Before you start selecting an enterprise server for your business, you should choose a suitable server operating environment carefully, which normally includes on-premise and cloud-based solutions. They all have advantages and disadvantages.

Typically, a cloud-based solution is more suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises for their cost efficiency. Besides, it is cloud providers rather than companies who are responsible for physical hardware and server maintenance. But cloud-based servers have lower transfer speed compared to the on-premise servers. If you plan to use on-premise servers for your enterprise, you need to reserve appropriate space for it. Generally, on-premise servers are more secure and allow for more control over the devices. However, they are more expensive and consume more power.

Scalability & Stability

When considering purchasing the right enterprise server, companies should also have a clear long-term plan for what the servers will be used for. For example, growing companies should prioritize server stability and scalability. Since it is more expensive to add new servers to on-premise data centers, companies should work with IT experts to determine the hard disks and server RAM needed for servers, which can help you develop a clear blueprint for your business.

IT Support and Maintenance

Another consideration when choosing the right enterprise server is the common maintenance of servers. Only the servers are well- maintained can guarantee data security. If you use on-premise servers, you should pay more attention to maintaining the hardware, software and server racks, which require a great deal of money. You can also choose to ask a hosting provider to manage servers. By contrast, a cloud-based server has less requirement for maintenance from internal IT staff.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity should be a priority for companies at all times. Data loss or attack will lead to immeasurable damage to the company. Therefore, when you are choosing an enterprise server, you should consider the server's security capability cautiously.

If you deploy a cloud-based server, you need to figure out the level of security offered by your service provider and choose the right one for your situation. And if you're using an on-premise server, it's better for you to work with a cybersecurity consultant to ensure that physical devices and software are well protected.

After-sale Support

Whether or not an enterprise server has after-sales support can have a big impact on a business's choice. In the process of operating, a company may encounter a series of difficulties. With after-sale support, the enterprise can get as much use and value as possible from their purchase, thus ensuring profit maximization. Besides, products like servers are not easily installed and deployed for ordinary companies, so enterprises can solve installation problems in a timely manner with strong after-sales support and obtain technical support services.

Quality Assurance

Customers usually pay much more attention to product quality when purchasing goods. And there is also no exception for companies. After all, no one wants to buy a product full of bugs. For SMEs and large enterprises, network equipment already costs a lot. Therefore, enterprise servers with great quality assurance can be cost-effective to a certain extent.

Budget Constraints

The budget of enterprise servers depends on the complexity of tasks they are going to accomplish. If you're just running a small company, you don't need to deploy the best server on the market, which is a waste of resources. On the contrary, small and light servers are not suitable for large enterprises, either. Before making a final choice, it's a good idea to discuss the cost of IT hardware components, operating systems, and server maintenance with an IT professional, which are closely related to your budget. Besides, you can also make the best use of the budget by optimizing your server.

Product Customization

Whether to buy a pre-configured server or a custom server is also a factor that influences a company's server selection. Typically, pre-configured servers are plug-and-play, which reduces time onsite and improves speed deployment. But different from custom servers, they don't allow customers to choose exactly what they want and lack precise performance. Although custom servers can provide great customized services, they also need professional help with assembling.

Conclusion

To sum up, choosing a suitable enterprise server needs a lot of consideration, such as server operating environment, server maintenance, cybersecurity, etc. Companies should make a right choice based on their own requirements and the advice from IT experts.