Server recommendations for small business

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sfrasernz

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#311994 6-Mar-2024 06:38

A friend has a small business and is going to the market for a proposal to install a proper ‘Server’ to replace the existing desktop machine - a core i3 with 8gb. Performance is not the concern - the computing requirements are low but fault tolerance and redundancy are the reason for looking at the upgrade.

The server would run Windows, host a SQL database (less than 3GB), some file shares and not much else. Pretty simple requirements. There are 7 other windows computers on the network running a client/server app.

This is a small business but the server is critical to the processing of transactions. To lose it for a day would have a significant impact. One company has suggested what looks to be an Enterprise class server with amazing specs but is completely overkill for a business this size at a cost of $6,000 for just the hardware.

Can you suggest an appropriate configuration? Happy to provide more specifics.

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#3203563 6-Mar-2024 06:57

It's really hard to comment without the specific business requirements and knowing what the context of the application is (only accessed locally via on-prem network vs across internet etc)...

Having said that, small compute requirements with high resiliency would lead me to ask, why not cloud? And then work back inwards from there to the point it is too painfully expensive to rent vs buy. Even if it is completely LAN only, I'd still be looking at cloud based backups as part of the strategy.

sfrasernz

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#3203568 6-Mar-2024 07:22

It is a retail business with the POS application hosted on the sql server. There’s also a service that runs to monitor the local pos computers to switch to an offline mode should connectivity with the sql server be lost. It’s worth noting a lot of functionality is lost should this happen and is less than ideal.

I don’t think a cloud solution is ideal in this situation but should be looked at before being completely ruled out.

gehenna

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#3203571 6-Mar-2024 07:27

Cloud is built for this. Your availability risk is about how you make it resilient and if you have a backup internet connection, offsite backups etc. Pretty light cost compared to hardware these days, and you get support slas with your fees, again assuming you design and build it right.

cisconz

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#3203576 6-Mar-2024 07:37

All depends how "Managed" you want it to be.

We have put a desktop PC in with mirrored disks, Hyper-V and and Veeam backups with a VPN to the owners house with a NAS there for offsite backups in situations like this in the past.

That would be around $4-6K all inclusive.

We also have Offiste backup only, fully hosted, Cloud Hybrid and Cloud Native Solutions - To decide on the best one depends on the customers RPO (Recovery Point Objective - How much data can they loose) and RTO (Recovery Time Objective - How long can they be down for in the event of a hardware failure)

Hmmmm

Dynamic

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#3203579 6-Mar-2024 07:46

A couple of things to consider:

Is this POS platform the right one for the business? Moving to a cloud-based POS system like Vend or Cin7 may remove the requirement for an in-house server. If UFB goes down, Vend will work in offline mode for a period of time. They can also run down to the local OneNZ or Spark store for a 4G connection if needed.
Backup & Disaster Recovery. Any computer can fail. How good is the backup, and even more importantly, how fast can the backup be restored? We offer clients two forms of backup/BCDR. One allows you to boot the last backup of your server in their cloud for fast disaster recovery. The other allows us to have a standby virtual image of the server that can be booted up and run on another computer pretty quickly.
The value of the server is relative. If your friend could lose $20,000 in transactions with a server being down for the day, spending $15k having one installed that should have a 5 year life and has a 5 year 24x7 manufacturers hardware warranty is a no-brainer IMHO. Alternatively, $300-$500/month for a cloud-based server where you don't have to worry about hardware failure could give peace of mind.

If I met with them, my first recommendations would be to make the backup of the existing machine amazing. Backups multiple times per day. Strategy in place to restore to full service in less than 1/2/4 hours depending on their budget and risk appetite. That takes care of the here and now. My second recommendation would be evaluating the POS platform's long term cost/benefit.

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freitasm

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#3203587 6-Mar-2024 08:28

gehenna: Cloud is built for this. Your availability risk is about how you make it resilient and if you have a backup internet connection, offsite backups etc. Pretty light cost compared to hardware these days, and you get support slas with your fees, again assuming you design and build it right.

If they have an app that monitors things in a network they might need more than a "lift-and-shit' job to move from on-premisses to cloud. There might be the need to install VPN software for those remote POS to access, the POS software might be a solution that doesn't allow for other software to be installed, security for the cloud data is something else to be evaluated, firewalls installed and configured to lockdown access if a VPN software is not possible to be use, etc.

Moving to the cloud is not a simple task.

Also, Cloud is not as cheap as some people want. Running costs can be high depending on availability, traffic, storage, etc.

Back to OP. If you are looking for a server, I guess the quoted hardware has built-in RAID hardware, redundant power and fans for resiliency. These won't come cheap. If you don't already have RAID (mirror or spread), storage will be at least double what you have now.

It would be good to know what you have now to have an idea of what the quotes are for.

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johno1234

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#3203591 6-Mar-2024 08:39

Heh! "Lift and shi%" 🤣

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#3203592 6-Mar-2024 08:40

johno1234:

Heh! "Lift and shi%" 🤣

ROFL. It should be "lift and shift" but obviously a Freudian Slip happened...

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nztim

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#3203594 6-Mar-2024 08:41

Cloud considerations a side if you want to stick with on-prem I would spec something an HP ML110 with a dual power supply and virtualise two VMs

One for the AD & Files, One for SQL

Even if you don't go down the cloud route I would rent Windows Licenses and CALS via CSP, purchasing on-prem licensing is so freaken expensive these days

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johno1234

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#3203595 6-Mar-2024 08:43

How risky is a cloud solution with regard to internet outage?

nztim

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#3203602 6-Mar-2024 09:12

Just another thought around licensing which makes cloud less attractive financially (and I am not trying to dissuade you from going cloud as it is significantly safer)

If you buy/rent a Windows Server license you can run 2x VMS with the same license (on customer owned tin only)
If you go down the cloud path let's, say you need two VMs one for AD and One for SQL you have to buy/rent 2x licenses one for each VM
- Rented Monthly via SPLA (Azure or MSP)
- Rented Yearly via CSP
- Purchased outright (volume license) - If you use this option, you must keep active software assurance unless running on your own tin.
The plus side is that Microsoft have reduced the minimum cores license from 16 to 8 (guess they are competing with open source)

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ShinyChrome

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#3203680 6-Mar-2024 10:50

johno1234:

How risky is a cloud solution with regard to internet outage?

TBH, it's just another NFR to drive the solution. There are ways to design for it, or drive the on-prem/cloud discussion.

Putting on my SA hat, I think what is really clear here is the business owner should be engaging someone to look at a holistic solution (some good comments above) rather than "I need a bigger server", which is going to color the recommendation. I certainly would not be outsourcing the design of a critical business function to an internet forum to be blunt

johno1234

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#3203694 6-Mar-2024 11:39

ShinyChrome:

johno1234:

How risky is a cloud solution with regard to internet outage?

TBH, it's just another NFR to drive the solution. There are ways to design for it, or drive the on-prem/cloud discussion.

Putting on my SA hat, I think what is really clear here is the business owner should be engaging someone to look at a holistic solution (some good comments above) rather than "I need a bigger server", which is going to color the recommendation. I certainly would not be outsourcing the design of a critical business function to an internet forum to be blunt

Don't be too quick to dismiss comments here - some smart people here with very good suggestions. In this particular case it is a small business that won't have a lot of cash for engaging consultants.

ShinyChrome

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#3203785 6-Mar-2024 14:29

johno1234:

Don't be too quick to dismiss comments here - some smart people here with very good suggestions. In this particular case it is a small business that won't have a lot of cash for engaging consultants.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with the feedback put forward that all should be considered the path to deciding what a good solution looks like. My comment was intending to illustrate two things, a) that you will always get an answer to your question, you just need to make sure you are asking the right questions i.e you ask a supplier for a server, they will sell you a server... but does that really solve the problem; and b) ultimately someone needs to consider all of the requirements that can't really be teased out in this setting

It boils down to a case of risk appetite really. If we are talking about a critical business system that is directly tied to your livelihood, I would think you want to seek to offload as much of the risk as you can. It should be a considered decision between wearing the risk of self-hosting/-supporting vs. a sliding scale of someone else owning that risk for one-off capex hit and ongoing opex, like the managed options Dynamic and cisconz suggested.

I'm not strongly advocating any which way because I don't know enough to say, but if it is to be done, it should be done properly.

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#3203805 6-Mar-2024 15:33

If 6K is offensive to your friend, they seriously need to reset their expectations.

I'd be surprised if you saw change out of $15K for even a relatively entry level Business Grade Server (let alone proper enterprise), with a warranty extension, licensing, and installation.

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