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We are all generating a lot of data, and storage companies like WD are introducing innovative storage media that is increasingly application specific, for example WD Purple hard drives for recording DVR CCTV recordings. It seems clear that not all data is created equal.

Data created by a business application may require that application to be hosted on an application server. For small business, the technical requirement and costs to set up and manage an application server are a significant deterrent, creating avoidable disadvantage. Without dedicated server resources, up until now, the smaller organisation has had to be satisfied with a second class, unstructured storage solution, exposed to the vagaries of theft, data loss, and non-compliance.

SIMPLY SERVING
While larger organisations employ server administrators, making servers and storage a funded part of business operations, small businesses (around 25 employees) are deprived of that opportunity: a dedicated server, hosting core business applications and the associated data. It may well be that, for a small business, that the addition of an application server increases the effectiveness of employees disproportionally. Now able to collaborate, share and secure critical business data confers clear economic advantage.

SERVER IN A BOX
Business class information technology should not be the sole preserve of larger organisations. In response, WD has combined with some leading technology vendors to create a range of affordable enterprise-class servers focused on improving the business productivity of the small business community.

The resulting small form factor, Windows based, Intel powered application server becomes the primary domain controller, and a small businesses first server. Installed and managed without specialist skills, the small business can now realistically run business applications. The design of our application server and storage solutions means that this first server could in fact last many businesses a considerable time, representing superb value and offering extensive scalability.

STORAGE IN A BOX
The justification for an application server may not apply universally, but all businesses require reliable, easily recoverable and secure storage. While external storage drives have their use, for a responsible business a more feature rich, secure and dependable solution should be deployed. It should also be easy to install, operate and manage. When connected to the network it should offer professional services such as remote access, data backup, and disaster recovery.

Moving beyond the single point of failure offered by USB connected storage, a storage server can provide scalable, dependable, enterprise-class storage for the most modest of businesses, offering benefits such as RAID storage arrays, operating system redundancy and familiar administration.

SAFETY IN NUMBERS
All businesses expect IT investments to scale to future, unknown and changing requirements. Just because a solution is affordable, does not make it disposable.

A business starting with a storage server and requiring expansion could redeploy it to provide additional domain storage capacity or a dedicated back up resource. On the other hand, the business starting with an application server could redeploy it for application testing or to a smaller domain with users requiring specific privacy.

DATA FIRST
It is no longer acceptable to put data at risk, and the Information Commissioners Office does not limit its attention to large organisations. The accepted principles of good data management are universally applicable. Solution complexity, cost or specialist knowledge can no longer be offered as a defence, and small businesses should no longer be left disadvantaged on the application and storage server side lines.

The combination of flexible, easy to install and manage application and storage servers is highly attractive. As they can scale and function in a familiar way with the capacity to serve the growing needs of a smaller business, way into the future, it places all businesses on a more level field of play.