In these uncertain times, I like having my own server
Much is being said today about the merits of cloud hosted services – but I like having the core information required to operate my company located on my own server. And truth is, my servers have provided reliable and secure service over 20 years’ time.
Basic IT services for a small company have traditionally included basic file sharing, e-mail, network security, perhaps a business application, and a backup solution – all running on one or two servers. This arrangement continues to serve small business well, providing secure, available service with good options for disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC).
Before ordering up a new server to continue an established solution with a good track record, there is opportunity to check out current technologies, consider business requirements, and balance costs. Here are some areas to consider:
Cyber-crime has become a universal threat – should my next server be designed to accommodate a likely successful attack?
We know how to recover a physical server from backup – and also that three days down time is not out of the question once we are faced with hardware incompatibilities, especially with older hardware. Can the company still live with that potential downtime?
Server hardware has continued to improve year after year, such that an entry level server today far exceeds the requirements of a small business. Virtual server technology allows for many separate virtual servers (virtual machines, VM) to operate concurrently on a single host server, utilizing shared server resources and providing the same savings as achieved by cloud service providers.
Concepts behind virtualization can take time to get used to and appreciate – even for the technical mind. That is not reason to dismiss an understanding at a high level! In the point above, recovery, is the remark that hardware compatibility is a factor in restoring a server from backup. In a virtual server environment this situation changes, as there is now an operating system – the hypervisor – operating on the physical hardware, and making available virtual resources such as hard drives, network interface cards, CD/DVD readers, memory and processors. Coming from this, a virtual machine can operate on any host server, as the virtual drivers are the same for any of the virtual devices. It is the underlying hypervisor that must accommodate the physical hardware. This arrangement leads to many benefits, including recovery of virtual machines.
Said simply, a server, whether physical or virtual, exists as a storage volume – occupying the entirety of a physical disk in the case of a physical server, or of a large file in the case of a virtual server. The contents of that storage volume include the operating system and all data stored with the server. In either case, image backup of the server consists of making a copy of that volume, stored on backup storage media. That image backup can also be copied off-site, for use in the event of an on-premises disaster, or to removable storage media for secure storage (such as Iron Mountain), or even to another host server, available as a hot spare instance of the server.
Widespread adoption of virtual technology has allowed for greatly improved remote management, in turn bringing down costs significantly.
A small business with on-premises equipment can maintain a high level of availability without breaking the bank. There are numerous tools and technologies available, and solutions may take advantage of characteristics of particular services. CTP tends to begin a conversation on this topic with a first attempt to define business requirements for availability. If the company server were down for a full business day, would this amount to an inconvenience, or would it put the business at risk. Depending upon the answer, a smaller or larger window might be considered, and perhaps refined by service. With this parameter defined, there are generally several ways of achieving that requirements, leading to a rational estimation of cost. That cost may lead to reconsideration of availability, and within a few iterations we come to a proposed solution. In some cases a company might elect to operate with two physical host servers, providing full redundancy. Other options include use of cloud services to provide DR options, or location of equipment in a different physical office of the company. The point here is that technology has brought about a variety of options and price points.
An on-premises solution is available and viable. Small businesses are typically taking advantage of the same virtual technology that powers cloud services, allowing for operation of multiple virtual servers on a single physical host server, and introducing both cost savings and improved flexibility that, in turn, brings about a high level of service availability and security.
CTP has been working with small business to implement on-premises, cloud-based and hybrid solutions. We are skilled at developing three key parameters – business technology requirements, service level agreement (SLA) and cost, and then iterating to bring these into balance. CTP comes from a multi-disciplinary background, with deep experience in many technologies, and has been very successful at developing solutions that meet requirements, sometimes in novel ways, and very often with significant savings. There are very good and compelling reasons to maintain an on-premises solution, perhaps leveraging hosted cloud services as well. CTP takes pleasure and satisfaction in working with companies to develop creative and well grounded solutions that bring together these many requirements an disciplines.
Frequently Asked Questions
It has become commonplace to operate eight to ten servers, as virtual machines, on the single host server of a small business. Why so many, when before there was just one server? Here are some reasons:
- Convenience with maintenance. Perhaps a patch needs to be applied for the anti-virus server, requiring a reboot. This can be done during the day without impacting any work, assuming a dedicate VM as the anti-virus server. It is not so easy if that server also hosts the file share and directory services!
- Conflict between applications. It could be that two applications utilize web services, and there is a conflict between the two. Operating on separate VMs avoids the conflict.
- Security. A clear cut example is the domain controller, which should be well protected. If a hacker should gain access to your files server, the potential risk is increased significantly if this is also a domain controller.
- Different operating systems. Most of the servers in a Windows environment will be the most current version – but some could be operating with the desktop GUI, while most without (for security reasons). Virtual appliances typically run on a Linux platform, and there is good reason to have one or several virtual PCs – Windows 10 – used for management and in some cases by remote users.
- Disaster Recovery. There are a variety of scenarios by which a server may become corrupt or otherwise require full recovery from backup. Restore from backup of a Virtual Machine is typically very painless and fast. Because all hardware has been virtualized, all drivers are the same for virtual machines – and independent of the underlying physical hardware. Handling of drivers for the physical hardware is the problem of the hypervisor – the underlying operating system of the host server – could be VMware ESXi or Microsoft HyperV.
- Virtual Appliances – a common example is a VPN device to handle remote access for employees – these appliances can often be purchased as a virtual machine that can operate on the existing host server, saving money and providing fine performance for the small number of employees of a small company.
CTP has remarked that virtual server technology has become common place both on-premises and for cloud hosted services, as the technology allows better utilization of hardware resources, taking advantage of the tremendous advances in computational capacity that has come about even for entry level production equipment.
But – can a small business elect to just put in a single on-premises server, with no virtual server technology?
Of course!
That single server can be configured as a domain controller, provide file shares and host anti-virus services and other services that might be required for the business. There are some security reasons why it would be best to move e-mail service to a hosted service such as Microsoft Office 365 – in fact, this arrangement is in common practice for small businesses.
No, our contract allows for growth (and shrinkage). The bill is adjusted as new managed devices are added or subtracted.
Yes, we do. Please contact us for more information.
New installations or upgrades (unless pre-agreed) fall outside the scope of Managed Services; we will be happy to provide you with a quote based on your requirements.
CTP operates on a set of standard secure procedures and processes for remote systems management, incorporating strict SLAs.
Typically, we access remotely through a secure VPN connection, but can use alternative methods if required.
