Retail SMBs: Do you need to think about servers?
Servers can be a difficult prospect. On the one hand, just about anybody who uses the internet regularly has some idea of what a server actually is - or, at least, they’ve heard of them.
On the other, trying to explain verbally what one does can be an exercise in embarrassment. It’s a bit like rocket science. You might have a good idea what rockets do but anything else is best left to the professionals.
While often hidden away in dark rooms, servers are almost universal in the business world. At their most basic, these systems provide data and resources to other computers that they are connected to in networks.
They’re usually associated with a single task, such as database or mail services. In the public’s consciousness, though, they’re perhaps more commonly thought of as part of video game infrastructure.
A centralised location
As a small retail company, the answer to the question in the title is most likely “no”. However, it’s worth stressing that the size of a business and the necessity of an on-site server are not always related.
As specialised pieces of hardware, servers are designed to handle jobs that involve a lot of data or users. Your average mom and pop store selling on Etsy might get more use out of one as a coffee table.
So, let’s use the example of a larger clothing store with a global internet reach. Large websites on their own domains will usually have their web presence running on a server, along with any email services associated with the domain.
Storefronts and credit card processing can also be run through a commerce server. What’s the point of all this, though? Why not run it all on a standard computer?
Servers provide a centralised location for all of a business’s operations. They’re also useful at freeing up resources taken up by CRM software or other demanding yet essential products.
After all, most would agree that there’s no point running ten versions of a single piece of software when one would do. Of course, there are plenty of other services that support servers that need to be considered.
Cloud, in-house, or hybrid
The company www.solarwinds.com offers web server capacity planning that can help SMBs forecast server resource requirements.
This kind of utility is designed to optimise resource drain versus available capacity, potentially improving the performance of each server in its monitoring network. While this might be considered an advanced solution, it nevertheless has applications for any business running a server.
Overall, the value of a server to SMBs is determined by what needs to be done, which, again, is a decision personal to your business.
For managers seriously considering installing a server, though, there’s also a distinction between cloud, in-house, and hybrid servers that needs to be made. Choosing one or the other will have ramifications for things like cost, control, maintenance, and access.
While retail SMBs are arguably not the classic domain of servers, compared to something like a web application with thousands of users, there’s no true yes or no answer to whether a hypothetical company needs one.
