Benefits of Physical Servers

In order to run your business effectively, all machines that you use in your office or at home will need to be connected to a server. Simply put, a server is a computer program or a physical piece of hardware that provides another service to either one computer, or all the computers in your network.

Servers can come in a couple different forms. When choosing what type of server you want to connect to, you’ll choose from either physical servers or a Cloud based server. A physical server is a piece of hardware that is localized within your home or your office space. On the other hand, a Cloud server is run completely virtually.

When running off of a Cloud server, you’re accessing the server space on physical servers somewhere else in the world. It’s the same concept as running off of a physical server, but somebody else owns the hardware.

There are advantages to using both types of servers, but here at IT Edge we prefer to utilize our own physical server. Keep reading to find out some of the advantages of going physical over digital!

Advantages of Physical Servers

• Cost
  • While the initial purchasing of physical servers can be expensive, you’ll save money in the long run. Here at IT Edge we recommend upgrading your server every six to eight years. So with the purchase of physical servers, you’ll be paying for a piece of hardware that is going to last you the better part of a decade. 

When running off of digital servers, you’re paying somebody monthly to use space on their server. While you may not have to make a big initial investment, the total cost of running cloud servers can often exceed what you would pay to own your own server.

• Performance
  • Physical servers cannot be beat, in terms of performance. When you have a physical server in your workspace or office, all of the power you need to do your job is right there. With only employees in your company being connected to the server, it’ll be able to perform its job well. Plus, it has dedicated resources that only function for your company.

When running off of shared servers, there’s no way to tell how many people are using the same server you are. The shared resources reduce the efficiency of the server, since so many different people are using it. Additionally, with so many different people using one server, stability can be an issue. How are you expected to work if all your resources are offline in a server crash?

• Security
  • Physical servers are as secure as you make them. When you own your own server, installing security measures are up to you. Whether it be a physical lock on the server room door or a plethora of cybersecurity and antivirus software, you can have peace of mind knowing that your physical servers are protected.

When running Cloud based servers, there’s no real way to know what type of security the server has to offer. A company may advertise a certain amount of security, but there’s no way to know it for sure, since you don’t own the physical servers. This could potentially leave your data vulnerable in the event of a cyberattack.

Connect With IT Edge!

Now that you know a little bit more about the advantages of physical servers, you can make the decision when it comes to physical or digital hosting. Here at IT Edge, we know that talking about technology like this can be confusing. 

That’s why we welcome you to come talk to us! If you’re interested in learning more about servers, either physical or digital, contact us today!