According to Microsoft, when an organization gets to a point that managing multiple PCs for applications, printer or file sharing and managing PC security becomes complex, it is time to bring in a server.

Balaprakash Kasiviswanathan, senior product manager for Microsoft Asia Pacific, says servers are better capable of managing the network and PCs in terms of the installation of applications and security patches, for example.

Although Dennis Mark, who heads HP Asia-Pacific's SMB segment, says "the server is less of a mystery" today, it's still necessary to do a bit of homework before going out to buy one.

Cheaper isn't necessarily better. In fact, the buying decision should not be based on cost alone but on a combination of factors such as number of employees, the application, amount of data, and maintenance and support requirements.

1. Number of employees
It makes a difference whether the server will support five or 500 users, as the latter will require more processing power and memory. It is also important to know how staff will use the system. For example, how often will they need to access the database?

2. Application and security
Today, hardware is less of an issue. "The issues that SMBs face are seldom hardware related… The hardware is reliable today," says Damian Crotty, director for Dell Asia-Pacific's enterprise product group.

Complexity is in the software, he adds, and not to mention the need to secure the data.

It boils down to what kind of applications the SMB plans to run and the bottlenecks expected.

If it is a file and print server, then the CPU is not an issue. "You'll need disk space and memory," says HP's Mark.

File and print servers tend to be used for a long time. Complaints arise when the disk space is full. To better manage the life span of the server, plan according to the number of users and put in place policies to better manage the server resources, advises Mark.

However, if it is a Web server with mainly static pages, such as an online catalog, CPU speed is important and so is having lots of memory.

Random access memory (RAM) is a key consideration because it is a function of the chipset. This means it's important to plan for future memory requirements and make sure that say, three years from now, they won't exceed the memory of the server, says Mark.

Software manufacturers will list "required" and "recommended" memory. When possible, buy enough memory to support the recommended amount for each application.

Applications that need to be accessible all the time, like a financial application, would require a more powerful CPU, fast disk systems, and probably SCSI drives. SCSI (small computer system interface) is a parallel interface standard used for attaching peripheral devices to computers. Compared to serial and parallel ports, the SCSI interface provides for faster data transmissions, up to 80 megabytes per second.

If the business engages in e-commerce, then the critical part of using the server is to ensure it is easy to set up, maintain and more importantly that it integrates with any existing internal business systems.

"It is extremely useful to buy software that is integrated and allows the SMB to set up the Web site, set up the necessary ordering or other Internet applications connecting to some form of database at the back end on the server," says Kasiviswanathan. The ideal scenario would be if this connects to the e-mail system and data can flow bi-directionally between business systems.

Security also becomes a more important consideration, along with the system's reliability.

Vendors like Dell and HP integrate security software into their hardware, offering SMBs protection against virus attacks and intrusions.

Data concerns