Servers are like the backbone of the entire IT infrastructure. They support a wide range of business operations from hosting databases and websites to managing network resources and running applications. They play a vital role in ensuring seamless business continuity.

So, it’s no wonder that you need to procure and provision them effectively in your business to maximize their performance and enhance your business operations. Let’s take a deeper look and discuss why hiring a reliable IT agency like us for servers may be the best decision you make.

What is a Server?

A server is a powerful machine that stores, computes, and manages data, systems, and devices over a network. This computer system offers resources to network units to allow specialized services like sending or receiving emails and displaying web pages among others.

Server functionalities go beyond a mere computer. They manage complex server processes and process-intensive workloads like database transaction management that require a lot of computing power. That is why picking up and installing servers requires a meticulous and careful approach.

There are several types of servers including DNS server, web server, application server, and file server among others. The type of server you need depends on your requirements and business operations. If you don’t know exactly what type of server your business requires, no need to worry. We will help you out.

Procuring and Provisioning Servers

As a business, procuring servers is not merely about purchasing the most powerful or expensive servers. Instead, it is about selecting the right servers that truly align with your business needs, budget constraints, and future growth. It involves evaluating different brands, server types, configurations, negotiating with suppliers, and ensuring cost-effective purchases.

On the other hand, provisioning is the process of preparing and configuring the purchased servers for operational use. This involves the installation of operating systems, configuring hardware settings, setting up network parameters, and applying the right security protocols. It ensures that severs are always ready to support business services and applications without a problem.

Steps of Procuring and Provisioning Servers

Equipping your business with the right servers is a multifaceted approach. It involves multiple steps including:

1. Requirement Analysis: The first step is to understand the needs of your business. It begins with the question: what type of operations do we need to perform? It eventually leads to evaluating current workloads, anticipating future demands, and identifying the types of applications the servers will support. In this analysis, it is vital to consider factors like security, reliability, performance, and scalability.

2. Vendor Selection: Remember, choosing the right vendor is crucial. You need a reliable and transparent vendor. So, this step involves researching various vendors, comparing server specifications, prices and warranties, and negotiating terms to secure the best deals in the market. Some other vital considerations are after-sales support and vendor history in the market.

3. Cost-Benefit Analysis: Effective procurement requires balancing cost and performance. It involves the evaluation of TCO or total cost of ownership, which involves purchase price, installation, energy consumption, maintenance, and upgrade costs. A detailed cost-benefit analysis allows you to select the right servers.

4. Hardware and System Configuration: Provisioning begins with the configuration of hardware components like network interfaces, storage, memory, and CPUs. Following this, necessary software and appropriate operating systems must be installed. Proper configuration ensures reliability and optimal performance.

5. Security Implementation: When provisioning the right servers, security is considered paramount. This involves setting up strong firewalls, installing antivirus software, creating user access controls, and implementing encryption controls for the protection of sensitive data and prevention of unauthorized access.

6. Testing and Deployment: Before deployment, servers need to undergo comprehensive testing to make sure they meet security and performance standards. For instance, it involves load testing, stress testing, and verifying software compatibility. Lastly, servers must be deployed into the production environment. It involves integrating them into the existing IT infrastructure and ensuring minimal disruption to business operations.

How we can Help you Procure and Provision Ideal Servers

We are a professional IT MSP and we have helped many businesses in different industries get the best and latest servers at the costs they wanted.

Here’s how we can help you out:

• Expert Consultation: We know that many businesses don’t know the right type of servers they need. That is why we provide expert advice to help you identify your server requirements after considering your current needs and operations, and future growth plans. In fact, our team helps you go through multiple options to select the most suitable servers in the market.
• Vendor Management: The market is very diverse and finding the right vendor can be a hassle. Luckily, we have wide industry networks and know many vendors. Using our relationships, we can find reliable vendors and negotiate best deals to ensure quality server hardware at competitive prices.
• Configuration and Provisioning: Our skilled technicians handle the entire provisioning process, from hardware setup to software installation and security configuration to ensure your servers are ready for optimal performance.
• Testing and Quality Assurance: We perform comprehensive testing to validate server performance, compatibility, and security to ensure they meet the highest standards and industry benchmarks before their installation.
• Deployment and Support: Once we have tested everything, we deploy the servers into your existing infrastructure and environment. At the same time, we also offer ongoing support and maintenance to ensure their continued efficiency and reliability.

At ANC Systems, we are always looking ahead at business trends to help you gain an edge in the competition. As procurement and provisioning experts, we ensure that we do our due diligence on the greatest and latest technologies to keep your operations running efficiently.

When it’s time to get servers for your business, we’re here to help you get the best deals you can find in the market. We have a successful record of helping companies scale up and you can also be one of our happy clients.