Does Your Business Still Need a Server in the Office?

There may be a server running somewhere in your office right now.

It may sit in a dedicated room or a utility closet employees rarely notice. It could store shared files, run accounting software, support production equipment, or manage employee access.

Eventually, the business has to decide what happens next. The equipment may be aging. A software vendor may be recommending a cloud version. The company may need better remote access or a stronger recovery plan.

Start by understanding what the server does. That information will help you decide where each system should live.

Find everything connected to the server

Create a record of what runs on the server, who uses it, and which processes depend on it. Talk with the employees who use those systems. They may know about reports, shared folders, or workarounds that don’t appear in the technical documentation.

A machine employees call “the file server” may also support:

• Shared files, business applications, and databases
• Employee sign-ins, permissions, and service accounts
• Scheduled reports, data imports, exports, or backups
• Fixed IP addresses or file paths written into software
• Security certificates or physical software-license keys
• External drives and attached backup storage
• Printers, scanners, label printers, or production equipment

These connections can run quietly for years. An account, address, file path, or piece of equipment may only receive attention after a change interrupts it.

Documenting the dependencies gives you time to test them and contact the appropriate software or equipment vendor.

When does keeping the server in the office make sense?

An on-site server may still fit when an application or piece of equipment needs a direct local connection. Manufacturing systems, large design files, specialized databases, and older business software may have requirements that affect where they can operate.

Review the environment around the equipment. The server needs reliable power, cooling, physical protection, backups, security updates, and ongoing monitoring.

Check its warranty and expected remaining life. If replacement is approaching, include new equipment and future maintenance in the financial comparison.

When should you consider colocation?

Colocation allows the company to keep dedicated server equipment in a data center.

The facility provides controlled cooling, reliable power, connectivity, and physical security. This can help when an application still requires dedicated hardware and the office isn’t the best place to house it.

Plan how employees will connect. Document who manages the hardware, operating system, applications, backups, and support requests.

What does moving to the cloud involve?

“Moving to the cloud” can describe several changes.

A company may adopt the cloud version of an existing application. It may move a server into a platform such as Microsoft Azure. Files may move into Microsoft 365 while another application stays on dedicated equipment.

Confirm which options the application vendor supports and whether the software needs to be updated first. Review monthly costs, storage needs, internet reliability, employee access, security, backups, and support responsibilities.

Cloud accounts, permissions, backups, and costs require ongoing oversight afterward.

Could a hybrid setup fit?

A hybrid setup places systems in more than one environment.

Employees may use Microsoft 365 for email and file collaboration while a specialized application remains on local equipment. Dedicated hardware could be placed in a colocation facility while newer applications are adopted in the cloud.

Document how the systems connect and include those connections in security, backup, and recovery planning.

Five questions to guide the decision

Ask these questions for each system currently running on the server:

1. What work would stop if the system became unavailable?

Identify the employees, customers, financial activities, or operating processes that would be affected.

2. What environments does the application vendor support?

Confirm the supported hardware, operating systems, hosting platforms, integrations, and licensing requirements.

3. How do employees need to access the system?

Consider office employees, remote staff, multiple locations, internet reliability, and what should happen during a connection outage.

4. What information must be protected and recovered?

Document who should have access, how the information is backed up, and how quickly the system must return after an interruption.

5. What will each option cost over the next several years?

Include equipment, warranties, licenses, connectivity, backups, support, migration work, and testing. Add a target date and the steps required before the current server can be removed.

Make the decision system by system

Create a list of the systems running on the server. For each one, document its users, dependencies, recovery needs, vendor requirements, available hosting options, estimated cost, and target date.

The resulting plan may place systems in the office, at a colocation facility, in the cloud, or across a combination of environments.

When you need help evaluating the options

Links Technology can help you document what your current server supports, identify important dependencies, and evaluate infrastructure, cloud, and colocation options.

The conversation begins with how your business uses its systems today. From there, Links can help you plan the next step around your applications, employees, operating schedule, and budget.

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