Servers are often considered a costly investment, not just because they are expensive to purchase but also because they are expensive to maintain. However, servers are the life of a data center/server room and, therefore, a necessary investment as well!

Are there ways to manage servers cost-effectively? Here are a few points to consider:

Find smart ways to cool

One of the biggest expenses involved with maintaining servers is in keeping them cool. While it is undeniable that adequate cooling systems must be employed, it is also unnecessary to spend an exorbitant amount of money on power-draining solutions.

There are many smart, cost-efficient ways to cool your servers – including setting up hot/cold aisle containment, free cooling, and adequate airflow within the server racks.

Free up that extra space

Regularly monitor server usage to see what is being stored. It is likely that a lot of storage space is often occupied by junk that you need not need or may have forgotten to delete.

By keeping an eye out and periodically cleaning up your space, you can greatly reduce your server needs and, subsequently, bring down their maintenance costs.

Consider virtualization

Virtualization of physical servers is a great way to reduce maintenance costs. Although virtualization may seem expensive to implement, it cuts down infrastructure needs and brings down energy and operational costs in the long run.

Virtualization also has a number of other benefits; like easier scalability and greater flexibility.

Choose co-location or cloud computing

If you run a small/mid-sized business, you might find it easier and more efficient to invest in cloud computing, handing over the responsibility of managing physical servers to a third-party service provider.

You can also consider using co-location, where you can save on power, internet, cooling charges associated with servers.

Invest only in what you need

Worried about the expense of maintaining something? First, make sure you actually need it.

When it comes to both hardware and software requirements, get help from an expert to analyze your needs and guide you before you make each investment. In this way, you won’t have to spend time and money maintaining anything that you don’t need.

Looking for expert advice on data center investments? We are here to help! Get in touch with Hardy Racks now.