I was in the middle of a sales meeting when I was asked, “Anthony, what is a server, anyway?”  Those within the field of business hear this word thrown around all the time.  Some business owners know their companies have servers and know their companies need servers, but are unclear about what a server really does.  If you’re like many people and are confused  about this whole “server” thing, I will attempt to explain what a server does to help businesses.

Let me start with an analogy, which is the easiest way I can explain what a computer server is.  I want you to think back to the last time you were at a restaurant…maybe you were there with some friends or family.  Upon sitting down, you were given menus.  You and your party looked through the menu and found the items that were of interest to you.  You were then greeted by your SERVER.  The server welcomed you and asked what you would like to order.  After the server took your orders, the server processed the order for food.  When the order was ready, the server distributed the food to you and your party.  At the end of the transaction, you were left with a receipt, auditing everything that was processed.

Computer servers are very similar to the tasks of a waiter or a waitress.  A server does just that…it serves up information.  A server is a single, specialized computer that is used to centralize information and resources.  If your business has about 5 or more computers, you can achieve significant time and cost savings, while increasing the efficiency and productivity of your employees by using a server.  Consider these dilemmas faced by similar businesses that do not have a server within their company:

• Do you want to centralize and organize your files because you can’t always find the right information when you need it?
• Can you efficiently share ideas and information with your colleagues?
• Do you need access to e-mail, data, and files while you are away from the office?
• Can your employees share equipment and resources such as printers, fax machines, and Internet access?
• Do you have a plan for creating backup copies of important information if a disaster happened at the office?
• Is your business information protected from unauthorized users?

Oh, and one more thing…if your company is interested in learning more about whether a server is right for your company, give Spidernet Technical Consulting, LLC a call.  We’ll give your company a free technology assessment!