If you are running a small or medium business, you must ensure that you only have the best server for your small business. The best small business servers are very important for any modern company, and while cloud-based servers are gaining popularity, servers where you operate yourself can still be the best way to go.
Finding a cheap server lately isn't difficult. Finding a cheap server that is actually good is rather complicated. The market is forever changing and opinions vary, but the five best server options listed below will work well to develop your business backup plan.
1. Lenovo ThinkServer TS140
Lenovo tower servers are cheap and upgradeable and come with four 3.5 "blank spaces, which means they can support RAID 0, 1 and 5. You can also mix and match SSD and HDD. Another advantage in buying TS140 is that the whisper is silent at only 26 decibels, so it won't interfere when you work.
| Model: | TS140: | TS140 (Intel Xeon): |
|---|---|---|
| Approximate Price: | $500 | $750 |
| Bays: | Four | Four |
| Processor: | Core i3-4130 | Intel Xeon |
| RAM: | 4GB DDR3 | 4GB DDR3 |
Advantages:
- Up to 16TB of storage
- Up to 32GB of RAM
- RAID 5 capable
- Very quiet
- Low-energy consumption
- Four PCIe slots
- DVD-R drive
- Intel Graphics 4400
Deficiency
- No hot swapping
- Slow base CPU
2. Dell PowerEdge T30
It comes with a 1TB hard drive, but has up to four 3.5 "or six 2.5" HDDs. That means you can support up to RAID 5 if it's a business need. Four PCIe slots and six USB 3.0 ports will be useful for expansion. The T30 certainly has a better specification than the TS140, minus the fact that it is not equipped with an optical drive or graphics card.
| Model | T30 | T30 (16GB RAM): |
|---|---|---|
| Approximate Price: | $450 | $600 |
| Bays: | Four | Four |
| Processor: | Intel Xeon | Intel Xeon |
| RAM: | 8GB | 16GB |
Advantages:
- Intel Xeon Quad Core
- Storage up to 16TB
- RAM up to 64GB
- RAID 5 is capable
- Quiet whisper
- Low energy consumption
- Four PCIe slots
- Fix USB 3.0 slot
Deficiency:
- There is no heat exchange
- There is no graphics card
3. Synology DiskStation DS916
The basic model is equipped with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, which you might want to improve. Quad-core, Intel Pentium N3710 processor must be strong enough. Even though you can save and stream HD movies if you want, there's no doubt DS916 is built taking into account information technology needs. A maximum of 200 users can use DS916 at a time - proof of the strength of the hardware.
Synology also uses the AES-NI hardware encryption engine to maintain the security of your files. The ability to read files that are encrypted at speeds of more than 225 MBps and write them above 209 MBps is another strong reason why it might be useful for your business to store files locally other than in the cloud.
| Model | DS216: | DS916: |
|---|---|---|
| Approximate Price: | $350 | $550 |
| Bays: | Two | Four |
| Bays: | Intel Celeron N3060 | Intel Pentium N3710 |
| RAM: | 1GB | 2GB |
Advantages
- Fast for settings
- RAID 5
- Four bays
- Mobile application
- Up to 200 users
- Hot swapping
Deficiency:
- Only 2GB RAM (expandable)
- Unable to install OS server
- Only use proprietary applications
Finding a server for your business today is easier and more difficult than before. Although there are many inexpensive choices on the market, finding one that won't be a problem is more than it can be done.
