Don’t Let Underutilized Servers Hold Your Business Back

How messy is your server room? When was the last time you took note of how many machines you have, and what each of them are contributing to your business’s goals? If either of these situations sound familiar, it might be time to take a closer look at your technology and examine how you can improve operations. One of the best ways you can do so is by eliminating unnecessary costs from unused and underutilized servers.

According to Processor magazine, a solid 30 percent of all powered-on servers aren’t working to their maximum potential. In fact, support servers average only about a 12 to 18 percent utilization rate. This means that there are a ton of servers out there that are costing businesses money on unnecessary expenses. It’s basically like wasted money, especially when you consider that many businesses use several dedicated servers for email, file hosting, and more. The reasoning behind this is that the servers can function independently from one-another, but the reality of the situation is that servers use a ton of energy; energy that’s wasted if not taken advantage of properly.

The Benefits
There are many benefits to consolidating your server infrastructure. Performing a close analysis of your organization’s server infrastructure is imperative to cutting unnecessary costs and optimizing your bottom line. Here are some of the great ways your company can benefit from elimination of underutilized or unused servers.

Dramatic decrease in energy costs. With less machines online at all times, you can save money on operational costs, maintenance, and energy. Servers eat up a ton of electricity, so it’s natural that you do whatever you can to limit how much you use. Furthermore, maintenance is significantly less expensive if you only have one machine that needs updating, rather than four.
Simplified computing infrastructure. Instead of having all of your technology spread across multiple pieces of hardware, you only need a minimal number of machines operating at all times. This makes it much easier to maintain and manage all of your mission-critical technology from one central location.
More physical space for activities and other technology. Regardless of how many servers you’re able to eliminate, you’ll be saving valuable space that can be used for other, more productive things. For instance, you can use the freed space for storage. You’ll finally be able to get rid of that fax machine that’s been collecting dust on your desk.

If you’re unsure how many of your servers are underutilized, or if you need help identifying where you can shave off some IT costs, Preferred can perform an obligation-free IT network assessment, where we take into account all aspects of your infrastructure; servers included. Furthermore, we can help your organization cut down on costs by taking advantage of virtual servers. When you virtualize a server, you’re eliminating the costs of running an additional physical machine, allowing one piece of hardware to perform the tasks of many. This lets you reap the benefits of multiple servers while only worrying about handling one of them. For more information on how we can help your organization transcend the limitations of hardware and optimize operations, give us a call at 708-781-7110.