It seems that we’re forever being told to upgrade to the latest phone, tablet laptop, etc. and it is sometimes difficult to keep pace with the rate of change when it comes to technology.
With the increasing importance of an online platform, now is a good time to upgrade your server! (especially given the circumstances over the past 6 months).
Many small and medium-sized businesses are constantly under pressure to do more with less, which is why many needlessly struggle with servers past their primes. Upgrading hardware can be costly, so it’s often easier for business to stick with their existing hardware. Many assume that remaining with the same hardware for years helps reduce spending but this can actually have the opposite effect!
This short guide helps to identify some of the reasons why it may be good to consider upgrading your hardware, the business benefits (such as performance) as well as some of the key questions that need to be taken into account when deciding to upgrade or even replace your servers.
Improving system performance (speed & flexibility)
As a general rule, each new version of operating system software (whether it is Linux or Windows based) is more demanding of the hardware it runs on and at some point inevitably the hardware can no longer support the new software with acceptable performance.
Servers are out of warranty
Warranties on average last around 3-5 years after which the manufacturer is no longer responsible for providing server support. This means that if your server were to break down, you may not be able to get hold of the necessary parts your business requires and if you do, these may come at a high cost.
To improve system stability
As a rule, newer hardware architecture is more reliable than previous versions. A good example are Solid State Hard drives (SSDs), which are generally more reliable than using older mechanical hard drives with lots of moving parts that can fail (not to mention the significant improvement in performance that comes with SSDs).
Latest OS features
To take advantage of the latest OS features (especially around security) and its advanced features for power management. This is the most important software that runs on a computer and manages all the computer’s memory and processes.
Increased business demand
Your business needs may have changed significantly since the server was originally provisioned. For example, it is likely that your website or application now has more traffic and/or processes more orders (in the case of an e-commerce platform) and a hardware review may be necessary to allow for the increased demand on the server.
However, there are some key questions to consider when you are determining whether it’s time to upgrade or even replace your servers. For example, you need to be confident that the upgrades will provide the performance and capability expected now and will also allow for any future demand.
If you would like any more information regarding our server hardware upgrades, our services or our data centre specifications, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call. We’ll be happy to help – 0161 464 6101.
