How to Decide Which Server to Use: A Comprehensive Guide for Your Business

Choosing the right server is a critical decision that can significantly impact your organization’s efficiency, expenditure, and overall performance. Selecting the appropriate server infrastructure saves money, optimizes space, and prevents numerous headaches throughout the server’s lifespan. This guide breaks down the different types of servers and provides a step-by-step approach to deciding on the ideal server hardware configuration tailored to your specific business requirements.

Understanding Server Configurations

Before diving into the decision-making process, it’s crucial to understand the primary server configurations available. Servers generally come in three main types:

Rack Servers: Designed to be mounted in standardized racks, rack servers are space-efficient, especially for data centers. These racks, which can reach up to 10 feet in height, allow for high density in relatively compact spaces, provided adequate cooling is in place. Rack servers are scalable, functioning independently with their own processing, memory, and power supply.
Blade Servers: Blade servers are circuit boards that operate as independent servers or in clusters within blade enclosures. They maximize processing power in minimal space, ideal for hosting applications, hypervisors, and web services. Their compact nature is a significant advantage for organizations with limited space.
Tower Servers: Tower servers resemble desktop computer towers and are well-suited for small businesses. Their configuration is straightforward, housing components in a standalone chassis. Tower servers offer customization for specific business needs and are often a cost-effective entry point for organizations with less complex infrastructure requirements.

A 10-Step Guide: How to Decide Which Server is Right for You

When businesses consider purchasing servers, a systematic approach is essential. To guide you through this process, we’ve developed a 10-step guide to help you determine the best server for your needs. This process emphasizes understanding your current infrastructure and future demands to ensure a cost-effective and efficient solution.

OEM Standardization: Has your company already standardized on a specific Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for your IT infrastructure? Standardization can streamline management, maintenance, and compatibility across your systems. Knowing this upfront can narrow down your server options and potentially leverage existing vendor relationships.
Application Types and Number: What types of applications will these servers be running? How many applications do you plan to host? The nature and quantity of applications are primary determinants of server requirements. Resource-intensive applications demand robust server configurations.
Processor Needs and Quantity: What type of processors are required for your applications, and how many will you need? Processor selection is crucial for performance. Consider the specific demands of your applications to determine the necessary processing power and core count.
Virtualization Requirements: Will this server be used for virtualization? Virtualization consolidates multiple workloads onto a single physical server, requiring substantial processing power and memory. If virtualization is planned, ensure your server is adequately equipped to handle the virtualized environment.
Switch Port Requirements: What type and number of switch ports are needed to support the server? Network connectivity is vital. Ensure you have sufficient and appropriate switch ports (e.g., 1GbE, 10GbE, 10Gb SFP+, FC) to integrate the new server into your existing network infrastructure.
CPU Speed vs. Core Count: Is CPU speed or core count more critical for your applications? Or is a balance of both necessary? Some applications benefit more from faster clock speeds, while others thrive on a higher number of cores for parallel processing. Understanding your application’s demands is key to processor selection.
Remote Management Needs: Do you require remote server access and management capabilities? Remote management features are essential for efficient administration, especially for geographically distributed teams or data centers. Consider servers with robust remote management tools for streamlined operations.
Connectivity Type: What level of network connectivity is required: 1GbE, 10GbE, 10Gb SFP+, or Fibre Channel (FC)? Connectivity needs are dictated by the bandwidth requirements of your applications and data transfer volumes. Choose the appropriate connectivity to avoid network bottlenecks.
Memory Capacity: How much memory (RAM) will your server require? Memory is crucial for application performance and multitasking. Determine the memory footprint of your applications and consider future growth to calculate the necessary RAM capacity.
Power Requirements: How much power will the server consume? Power consumption impacts operational costs and data center infrastructure. Accurately assess power needs to ensure adequate power supply and efficient energy management within your environment.

The server you ultimately choose should directly align with the applications it will host. Applications are the driving force behind server configuration decisions. Mismatched hardware can lead to performance issues, including latency, errors, and costly downtime.

Key Configuration Factors to Consider

Always consult the application vendor’s OEM documentation for specific hardware requirements. For organizations running multiple applications such as file servers, email servers, CRM, and databases, a more robust server—whether tower, rack, or blade—will be necessary.

Processor Deep Dive: Balancing Power and Cost

When evaluating processors, the primary focus should be the application’s demands. Applications often specify particular processor types, core counts, and speeds. Over-specifying processors can lead to unnecessary expenditure, while under-specifying can create performance bottlenecks.

While newer processors offer significant performance gains, it’s important to assess whether your business applications truly require top-tier processing power. Studies indicate that many enterprises operate with surprisingly low average server and CPU utilization rates. One study showed average x86 server CPU utilization between only 8% and 20% in large enterprises.¹

Therefore, carefully evaluate the required processor type, core count, and speed to ensure optimal application performance without overspending. Processors can represent a substantial portion of the total server hardware cost, sometimes 30% or more.²

Choosing a slightly less powerful processor can yield significant cost savings—potentially around one-third—with only a marginal impact on peak performance (around 10%). This trade-off is often acceptable for most businesses, allowing for substantial budget optimization.

The key takeaway is to avoid unnecessary investment in high-end processors if the capacity won’t be fully utilized. Align processor selection with actual application needs to maximize cost-efficiency.

Switch and Port Planning: Ensuring Connectivity

A common oversight is ordering servers without adequately verifying switch port availability. Before deploying new servers, conduct a thorough audit of available ports on your existing network switches. Ensure you have enough ports to accommodate the new servers. If not, factor in the cost of additional switches to support your server deployment.

Memory Considerations: Investing in Future Performance

In terms of memory, the general principle is “more is better.” While a higher initial investment, maximizing server memory from the outset is often more cost-effective than upgrading later. Upgrading memory post-deployment can necessitate network downtime and additional labor, which can be avoided by adequate initial memory provisioning.

However, memory module (DIMM) pricing can be volatile, and the market offers a wide array of models. Price per gigabyte can vary significantly even for modules with the same total capacity. Therefore, diligent comparison shopping and cost calculations are crucial.

For example, purchasing 8x 16GB DIMMs might be significantly more economical than 16x 8GB DIMMs for the same total memory capacity, potentially saving 30% or more.³ Regularly reassess memory pricing, as deals can change rapidly due to market fluctuations and supply chain dynamics. Always calculate the lowest cost option per gigabyte for each purchase, rather than relying on previous procurement prices.

Power Management: Efficiency and Cost Savings

Accurately calculating server power requirements is essential for ensuring adequate power supply and optimizing energy consumption. Server power draw depends on the installed components. Review the power consumption specifications for each component to estimate total server power needs. Efficient power management contributes to lower operational costs and aligns with sustainability initiatives.

5 Key Questions to Reiterate When Selecting a Server

To summarize, here are five crucial questions to ask yourself when deciding how to choose a server:

What applications will be running, and how many? This defines the core performance and resource requirements of your server.
What type and quantity of processors are needed? Align processor choice with application demands to balance performance and cost.
What switch port capacity is required to support the server deployment? Ensure sufficient network connectivity for all new servers.
How much memory is necessary for optimal performance and future growth? Invest in adequate memory upfront to avoid future bottlenecks and upgrades.
What are the server’s power requirements and how will they impact your infrastructure? Plan for sufficient power supply and consider energy efficiency.

Expert Guidance for Choosing the Right Server

Selecting the ideal server involves considering various hardware components, including CPU, memory, RAM, storage, and connectivity. Each component must be carefully chosen to meet specific application needs and business objectives.

Server configurations should be tailored to individual customer requirements. A thorough understanding of application demands, whether emphasizing memory capacity or storage space, is crucial for building a server that truly meets your business needs.

Contact us for a quote on your business server today and let our experts guide you in making the optimal server selection for your organization.

¹ Gartner, 10 Ways to Reduce the Cost of Acquiring Servers, Daniel Bowers, 27 October 2017.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.

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