Most businesses today realize that their business data is one of their most important assets, yet at the same time surprisingly little attention is paid to assuring that this data is properly stored on a reliable file server computer. While business data is obviously stored on some type of office computer, many business owners really do not know the difference between a server computer and a simple personal computer, and they are therefore putting their businesses at risk. Unfortunately for some businesses, they don’t find out how insecure their data really is until they have a server or system problem. In this article I would like to highlight some of the key differences between a server and a typical office computer as they relate to data integrity and assurance.

We are all pretty familiar with a typical office personal computer. PCs consist of a few main components, such as a single hard drive, a small to medium amount of random access memory, a CD ROM and floppy drive, video card, sound card, monitor, keyboard and mouse. The standard desktop PC usually works great for desktop use, but lacks many important features necessary to provide any degree of data integrity in an office environment.

A typical office server computer utilizes much of or the same technology as a desktop PC, but includes several additional and important enhancements to help protect data. Let’s examine a few special features of a system file server as they compare to those of a standard desktop PC.

A typical desktop PC stores data on a single disk drive called an Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics (EIDE) or AT Attached (ATA) drive. These drives are relatively slow compared to drives used in servers, but since they are inexpensive, they are attractive to system builders that want to create systems at the lowest possible price. However, since there is only one drive in a desktop PC system, when it fails there is no data redundancy or protection. Let’s remember that computer hard drives are mechanical devices with spinning bearings and other parts, so it is not a question of if a drive will fail, but when! To ensure that a failure of a drive in a server environment does not cause the loss of data or system downtime, servers utilize a hard drive technology and drive configuration called RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks). A server that properly implements RAID can add significant data reliability and redundancy to a system. A key feature of a RAID-configured server is the ability to tolerate one or more hard drive failures without any loss of data or system down time – a critical feature for an office server that must remain operational.

Another area of importance for machines storing critical data is the power supply. This is a component that is often completely overlooked by many server or system designers. Since desktop PCs are designed primarily to be inexpensive, they have only a single power supply, and in many, the system case and power supply are of a rather low quality. System power supplies are stressed by many external events, including lightning surges on the power grid, power spikes and sags caused by overloaded electrical systems, and other surges generated within the office. Power supplies do fail and they frequently cause problems that are difficult to troubleshoot. These system problems can result in data loss and random system resets. A properly designed server incorporates rugged and redundant power supplies to ensure that a single power supply failure does not cause the shutdown of the server and thus the entire office.

While no system can be made completely failure-proof, the right server and system design can go a long way to ensuring that your critical business data is properly protected. Given the continual PC hardware price reductions that have been occurring, incorporating the "right" design into your data storage protection strategy seems a wise choice that should not be ignored. Although there are numerous other factors to consider when purchasing and installing a server in your office, business owners should ensure that the selection and configuration of this key office machine is not left to chance. Do you know if your data is safeguarded on a properly configured server? If not, you should consider contacting a computer consultant.