Is a server a box or a space in the cloud or something else? We often notice that there is some confusion about servers. We get it, it's also pretty tricky. That's why we're going back to basics and looking at servers, server management and especially server management. good server management.
What exactly are servers?
First things first: the server. A server is a kind of computer that 'serves' services. Think of e-mail or files or a database that is available to users, other servers or programs. A well-known one is e-mail. Your Outlook connects to it to retrieve your email (synchronising) and at the same time for your colleagues, your agenda and for example your phone which is also synchronising.
The English word 'serve' means 'to look after' and that is exactly what a server does. Server management is a fairly broad term, but we define it as carrying out regular and automated maintenance on (you guessed it) servers.
What is good server management?
Server management is well executed if a user does not experience any interruptions of work due to maintenance activities. Messages such as 'Server busy' or 'downtime' are therefore a thing of the past with good server management, or at least they are minimised. Maintenance is necessary, but it is carried out with the shortest possible downtime, i.e. the time when the server is unavailable. This is often done at night or at other times when the user is not at work. This guarantees the continuity of your business, because you can work undisturbed and do not notice that updates are continuously being carried out.
Good server management is not something you should notice, but bad server management is immediately noticeable. Just think of hacks or other security problems, problems uploading or editing files, or issues with the Internet. You want to prevent these things.
And how do we do that?
The most important thing about server management: that everyone in your company can work safely and well thanks to IT. We would like to give a hint by naming three things that we consider to be part of good server management: monitoring, control of crucial tasks and mitigation. We will explain these now.
Constant monitoring ensures that we receive a signal when something is wrong with the server. For example, we hear far in advance if a disk is about to fill up. We use a monitoring set (a list) that shows the status of all processes, not just the things that go wrong. This way, we can proactively pick it up and you, as a customer, will not be bothered by it.
We also monitor the exact status of the server. Critical tasks include backup, file management, physical hardware or network traffic. We then know exactly the status of the backup or a broken fan/hard drive, for example. Because we do this automatically, we know it before you do and can pick it up immediately.
Finally, we apply mitigation, which sounds very complicated but actually amounts to fixing problems automatically. A busy server causes problems in speed and security. A server is always busy with a certain task, but it can also get full and that causes problems. We ensure that the server switches back and thus remains less busy. The server then no longer crashes and everyone can do their work without noticing that something was wrong. Handy, right?
But... why would you want good server management?
So now you know what server management is all about and also what makes server management good. But why would you want it? In our next blog, we'll explain why you should want good server management and how it can solve four problems.
Frequently asked questions about servers and Azure
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Azure is the umbrella name for Microsoft's cloud platform. Microsoft's Office 365 services use Microsoft's data centres and cloud. So they work together.
In the field of Windows-only services and servers, I think we can safely say: Yes! For other services that are generic, it is a different story. Microsoft is one of the market leaders. The diversity, reliability and security are together truly unique and unrivalled. Other cloud platforms undoubtedly have their own areas in which they excel. With Microsoft Azure you are safe in terms of pricing, performance, security and continuity for the future. That is why our preference and expertise lies with Microsoft Azure.
That your servers perform optimally and safely. Server management includes all activities to keep your server up-to-date with functional and security updates. We also monitor the server so that abnormal behaviour quickly becomes visible and can be remedied. In addition, with automation and scripting, we also ensure the security of your server and resolve many failures with an automatically generated solution. Very efficient. Control of back-ups and automatic control of the incidental restoring of data from a back-up or even an entire server.
That differs per company. If you are using Office 365 and Teams, you will continue to work with your files. Functions such as working live on the same document are temporarily on hold, but you can continue to work as usual. Are you more dependent on internet access, for example because of cloud services such as applications, databases or WVD? Then it is wise to prepare for this with a redundant internet connection (a back-up connection that takes over if your main connection fails). Certainly at your office location, this is no superfluous luxury. Of course, we can help you with this, so that you can continue working in the event of a failure.
There are even several advantages! We wrote a blog about it: what is (good) server management and why is it important?
We have written a blog about this: how to go to the cloud?
When we think of a server, we think of a piece of hardware with software on it that 'serves' one or more services on the network. With a virtual server, the software is packed into a single file. We call this a 'container'. Several containters can also be active at the same time on one physical server. They behave as real individual servers. These containers/virtual servers are easy to move to other physical hardware.
Well, opinions sometimes differ on that. The technology and the security are of course well taken care of in Azure. Much better than in the office. Still, you need to maintain your servers well, even if they are in Azure with good server management(read our blog about this). We are talking about virtual servers. Especially if you provide virtual server services that are connected to the internet or provide your staff with services. Azure also excels in physical security and emergency scenarios. Think for example of theft, fire, disasters, sabotage, and so on. This much higher level of security is why we are fans of Azure.
The cloud is certainly safe. In the case of Azure, Microsoft tries to comply with as many guidelines as possible such as ISO and NEN. Your specific services must also be secured, of course. If your virtual servers or services are connected to the internet so that others can see them or if staff can directly access the services, then you must secure them against unauthorised use. This is often easier than having them in the office, but it has to be done.
Yes it certainly is. It's mostly in experience and knowledge building. That's the difference between just doing it and doing it right. With 'automation' and 'monitoring' you can achieve a lot of efficiency in performance and continuity. We at Lime Networks go to great lengths to ensure that your company performs optimally. Security is perhaps the most important aspect. Without experience and knowledge, unsafe situations arise that you cannot see for yourself. Therein lies our strength. Server maintenance is not a lot of work, because we have the right tools for the job. This also prevents individual mistakes.
Actually, all types of servers, if we limit ourselves to the hardware. If we talk about the software, we supply Windows-Only. You can think of ActiveDirectory, Storage, SQL, RDS/WVD, RemoteApp and application servers. In Azure, some servers are broken down more into functions or roles in order to achieve efficiency. We are happy to tell you how to maintain or set up your server park in the cloud in a modern way, without too much inconvenience.
It's the other way around: why NOT go to the cloud? Cloud first, unless...' is the most modern strategy for your IT these days. The reason why you should do this varies from company to company. Think for example of security, performance, continuity, volatility, cost control, from OPEX to CAPEX, less uncertainties, focus on the core strategy of your company... These were some of the important motivations, but there are more. Do you want to know what your personal motivation is? Let us know and we will gladly think along with you.
- Easily replace the hardware under the container
- Moving the container if the hardware breaks down
- Placing multiple containers on one physical server
- Keep the physical server on standby.
If a physical server breaks down, you can quickly deploy one or more virtual servers by moving them to it.
... And much more. Virtualisation/virtual servers are an evolution in IT. The cloud also benefits enormously from this. Would you like to know more about it? Give us a call.
Of course, you can continue to work locally. However, in the cloud you can protect personal data just as well as on a local server. Especially when it comes to security and availability, the cloud can offer a solution. Don't let the AVG be an obstacle to the cloud, but rather a strength with which you can achieve more than before. Take security to the outside world or theft, for example. The cloud can do that much better.
Yes, the technology is ready. We often hear from customers that there are some doubts, e.g. about logistics, how modern the company is or about specific wishes and requirements. We will be happy to explain that there are already solutions to this problem. Call us for an intake and explanation of a ready-made solution. Cost savings, efficiency and security often go hand in hand with a modern cloud solution.
Yes and no. Services and servers in the cloud have an SLA (Service Level Agreement). Services are the responsibility of the supplier. If we put a customer's server in the cloud, maintenance is almost as important as putting a server in the office. There are many advantages to the cloud (higher uptime, quickly adding capacity, a high degree of redundancy, delivering performance even when hardware fails, etc.) but the maintenance of your server remains a customer affair. Of course, we take care of that! We also advise you well, so that you can optimise your costs and get the most out of the cloud without paying too much.
We ensure that the servers are secure and up-to-date with special software (DATTORMM) and a team of professionals. They deploy smart scripting, automation and a standardized update process. Also, common problems are solved automatically. Should things still go wrong somewhere, notifications are made automatically and we address them promptly.
At first glance, this appears to be the case. The cost is often a combination of computing power, memory, storage, redundancy, availability, licences, and so on. It is complex to see, but you can often be much more efficient and by definition better prepared for fluctuations (volatility) and redundancy.
In Azure, your data, servers and data are by default located in data centres in the Netherlands. You can also specify whether you want to distribute your services to the rest of the world or to a specific location. Sometimes you want to be 'georedundant', i.e. operate in more than one geographical location at the same time. Perhaps you want the Hong Kong office to have a higher performance and you want to have servers or services in that specific region. You can indicate this.
Most servers are perfectly suited to the cloud. There are also usually advantages over a server in the office. We often hear limitations or doubts from customers when this is not necessary. We are happy to look at your specific solution and present you with a ready-made solution.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. Azure is a set of services on the Internet. The moment you are offline you are not physically connected. With Office 365, for example, you can continue working with data offline if you use OneDrive. Technically, Office 365 is a cloud service that uses Microsoft's cloud.
With Azure, you almost always pay for using a service. The cost is for direct consumption. Take a server, there you pay per unit of time (minutes). Or for example storage, there you pay per GigaByte. This includes licenses for Windows server, for example, or access licenses for using the service. If you need more, you pay a little more; if you need less, you actually pay less. For example, you can turn off a server on weekends if you don't need it. Super convenient! The costs are also always a result of a case study or an investigation at a customer's site. We are pretty good at calculating costs but it is specific per client/solution. Prices for all services can be found on Azure's website and publicly. Also, you can make a calculation there and adjust live so the understanding of costs is very clear. Purchasing products on a longer term basis allows for more discounts.
Azure is Microsoft's suite of cloud services. This is about renting servers, databases, storage, AI, IOT and hundreds of different things to move your IT services to the cloud in the background. We help you with choices, advice, cost control, migration to it and the management and advice once it's up and running.
A server is a type of computer that 'serves' services. Think of e-mail or files or a database that is available to users, other servers or programs. A well-known one is e-mail. Your Outlook connects to it to retrieve your e-mail (synchronisation) and also, at the same time, for your colleagues, your calendar and, for example, your telephone, which is also synchronised.
A horse is an animal, but an animal is not a horse. Azure, for example, is a wide range of cloud services. But there are also other players in the market such as Google, Amazon, IBM, etc.
On the Azure platform, the possibilities are almost endless. From storage, computing power, (virtual) servers, AI, SQL, IOT and much more. We would be happy to explain what this means in a personal meeting.
