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Servers & Virtualisation

 

 

We have expertise in Microsoft Windows Server technologies, including:

  • Small Business Server (SBS)

  • Microsoft Exchange

  • SQL Server

  • Group Policy

 

As well as day-to-day administration of Windows Servers, we are able to perform migrations to newer Server operating systems (or of an existing operating system to more modern hardware). In particular we have experience in the specialised area of SBS migrations, where the traditional method of promoting a new server is not available. We have performed several successful migrations using the 'swing migration' method that minimises down-time and allows more time for testing. In every case the replacement server has been installed without any down-time during normal business hours.

 

Virtualisation

Virtualisation allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical server, which can mean significant cost savings for organisations requiring multiple servers. Consolidating operating systems using virtualisation also lowers ongoing maintenance costs.

 

Perhaps most importantly though, virtualisation drastically decreases the amount of time it takes to recover servers in a disaster recovery scenario. Not only is it significantly quicker to recover, but it is far simpler which means there is less chance for unforeseen problems.

 

We recommend the industry-leading Vmware ESXi product for virtualising servers.

Hardware

For hardware, we recommend HP Proliant servers. We take particular care when quoting servers for our clients, as we've seen the impact under-spec'ed or poor-performing servers have on productivity and sanity of staff.

 

You won't ever receive a "standard" quote from us. We always take time to investigate all options, and we take a long-term view. Clients typically replace servers every 3-5 years so we ensure all servers we quote will still be suitable for your needs down the track. Often that means installing fast "SSD" hard drives. These are around 10x faster than traditional hard drives and make a massive difference to the speed of email servers, and databases.

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