Public clouds cannot meet the needs of every business. Even for organizations using cloud services, there are many reasons why local server information data is usually convenient for some companies. These may include legal restrictions on storing data, security, performance, and cost. However, concerns about having local servers also include security, performance, and cost. These lists are similar because the issues are complex, and owning your own cloud server is always a balancing act. Ultimately, we need to consider each aspect to see where the specific benefits of implementation lie. But first, think about what kind of server is the best choice for us? For many companies, a central server provides a location for important documents that need to be accessed by a few employees. The document sharing process is a crucial function of servers that can enhance work efficiency. Additionally, having only one copy of a document can eliminate the issue of multiple versions floating around the office. Furthermore, servers can also provide reliable backups for your organization. Of course, servers can facilitate centralized printing. Key considerations Legal restrictions – If a company has sensitive restrictions or deals with healthcare data or certain types of financial information, there are legal requirements in place that can control the use and protection of sensitive data. In many cases, severe penalties may be imposed for non-compliance. Off-site services (including cloud services) may be off-limits unless you can prove they offer sufficient protection. Keeping this kind of data on-site may be the only sensible thing to do. Security – If servers are located in a secure location in the office, you can control who has access to it. However, this sense of security may be deceptive. For example, being in a locked room will not protect the server from flood or fire damage, and it does not provide data security or prevent leaks due to employee actions, intentional or not. Performance – Servers on a well-designed internal network almost always show less latency than servers in the cloud, meaning data can be retrieved faster from local servers. However, a poorly designed internal network may hinder performance. Cost – If the requirements are simple, purchasing servers may not be costly. After all, servers are simply PCs typically enhanced for reliability. This means their power is generally more robust, they may have better cooling, more memory, and support more network ports, but they may not have a fancy video card or sound system (if they have a sound card). They may also not come with an operating system, allowing you to choose the software that best meets your needs. Beyond servers Placing a server in the office is not just a matter of setting it up and booting it up. It must be regularly checked and maintained, and kept updated. Of course, technical support is an inevitable requirement. Staff – Someone must be responsible for server operation. Others need to be comfortable operating and maintaining the hardware and software on the server, as well as managing backups. Management tasks include adding and removing users, helping with forgotten passwords, and monitoring the operating environment to ensure the server operates smoothly. Modern servers and server software are quite reliable and in most cases, use software you are already familiar with. However, if you are unwilling to deal with this issue, assisting someone using office PCs may also help with server management. Space – You may not have a full-fledged data center for your servers, but you do need a place to house them, such as an office or a ventilated closet. The size depends on many factors, including how many servers you have. If it’s in tower format, you need a sturdy table for the server and its UPS. Supporting equipment – Servers need uninterruptible power supply (UPS). A good example of this UPS is the Dell EMC SmartUPS 1500 Smart-UPS, which has enough capacity to power your server through short outages, safely shut down the server to extend downtime, and remotely monitor it. You will also need a keyboard, mouse, and server monitor. Air conditioning – Today’s servers are like personal computers and run well in a normal office environment. If the temperature is high where your server is located, you should find a place with air conditioning. Although we mentioned Windows above, the choice of network operating system is indeed up to you, which system best suits your business.