Small enterprises must carefully navigate the complex array of Microsoft server licensing policies, options, and client access requirements. This task is not a simple one, so gain a better understanding of Microsoft server licensing to optimize spend and maintain license compliance.

An Application Front-End (AFE) can provide features and functions in a single appliance that might not otherwise be available to a small enterprise. By consolidating multiple operations in a centrally managed device, the small enterprise can reduce the number of data center devices required and gain additional functionality.

Small enterprises that learn Microsoft licensing basics are in a better position to optimize license purchases and reduce software spending. Understand Microsoft’s complex licensing programs and the options, restrictions, and conditions. Learn licensing terminology and the key differences in the options available to make the best licensing decision.

Dense x86-based computing architectures are often marketed to larger enterprises that utilize hundreds or thousands of servers. These same technologies can greatly benefit small enterprises that need a few dozen servers but lack physical space to expand the data center. Understanding the issues and benefits of dense computing systems will help to decide if they might be right for the small...

Physically relocating the business will affect every aspect of IT. While the process of relocating and moving IT assets for a small enterprise may not be as complex as that required by larger enterprises, the move still needs to be carefully planned. Budget and physical space allocations must be well thought out to avoid downtime and reduce costs.

Read this note before embarking on any Microsoft licensing decisions. Making the right licensing decision minimizes costs, simplifies management, and achieves compliance. Learn the key steps involved in optimizing license purchases and confidently tackle the licensing project.

Small enterprises relocating IT assets will want to plan the moving budget. Relocation expense calculations should include factors ranging from site preparation costs to physical relocation costs. Use this tool to compute IT relocation expenditure.

Few small to mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) can afford much in the way of offsite redundancy for disaster recovery purposes, and fewer still have budget room for a proper hot site. While virtualization is a tempting option to provide resiliency and recoverability for critical applications, the storage area network (SAN) requirement will force some companies to resort to collocation.

Info-Tech is seeing a wave of corporate server centralization as companies gain greater control over IT infrastructure and simplify management. While there are compelling reasons to consider centralization, many companies overlook the increased demands on network infrastructure. Understand the network implications of server centralization, and prepare the network for the evolving demands put on...

High availability (HA) for key applications is a requirement for businesses of all sizes. Small enterprises have fewer resources to allocate in creating an HA data center and so must be more adept at selecting the right components. Understand business needs and technologies to create a viable and cost effective strategy for HA.

Periodically, every enterprise should consider how advancements in technology or technology management practices can be applied to drive business value. Advancements can be new product announcements or new uses for proven technologies.

Selecting the appropriate Microsoft Volume Licensing program is not an easy task. Once small enterprises understand Microsoft Volume Licensing programs and are comfortable with the terminology, the next step is to access the organization’s licensing situation. Equipped with this knowledge, enterprises can tailor a program to suit their needs.

This tool simplifies the decision-making process for Microsoft Licensing program selection. Once decision makers have gone through the three worksheets and read the accompanying research note, they should be able to determine exactly which Microsoft licensing program will best suit the needs of the enterprise.

For most IT staff, the idea of dense computing environments brings to mind high performance computing in universities, government, and research environments. For small enterprises with moderate processing needs and minimal data center space, these products offer an alternative to the rows of rack-mounted servers that are now the norm.

Small enterprises require outside expertise to successfully design and implement an enterprise cabling infrastructure. Use this fully editable Structured Cabling RFP Template to select the best structured cabling solutions for your needs.

Data centers and compute resources continue to grow in importance for day-to-day business operations. With fewer IT staff and less resources than larger enterprises, the selection of appropriate system management tools is doubly important for the small enterprise. Understand the key issues in data center operations before choosing any management suite.

While the process of relocating and moving IT assets for a small enterprise may not be as complex as that required by larger enterprises, the move must still be carefully planned and executed. Know what to expect from electrical contractors and think through wiring concerns to avoid downtime and unnecessary costs.

Physically relocating IT will affect every aspect of the business. Plan to avoid downtime and reduce costs by carefully implementing the network cabling in the new facility.

Small enterprises relocating IT assets will want to verify that necessary network cabling work has been completed before the move. Use this checklist to evaluate the cabling installation and account for possible roadblocks in the process.

Small enterprises relocating IT assets will want to verify that necessary electrical work has been completed before the move. Use this checklist to evaluate the electrical system in the facility to which IT will be moving. Work with the contractor to obtain this information.

High availability (HA) application requirements are found in enterprises of all sizes. For the small enterprise, the task of defining what HA means to the enterprise and beginning the implementation can be a difficult task. By carefully evaluating business needs, the IT staff can create a realistic plan for HA applications.

A small enterprise with up to 100 servers will not be moved to server virtualization by a strategic imperative. Rather, the trigger will be the acquisition of partitionable x86 servers as part of a regular hardware refresh. Turn this implementation from a one-off effort with limited return on investment into the beginning of a new way of managing infrastructure that has significant cost and...

The best approach to large scale virtual server implementation combines planning for a foundational virtual infrastructure with careful and incremental adoption. Utilize this tool after employing the ITA Premium Small Enterprise "Scope Analysis for Virtualization Worksheet" to consider who and what will be impacted by virtualization. This template aids the development of a long-term project...

Technology is cited as the least challenging aspect of implementing virtual machines, whereas people and process often top the list. Carefully consider the impact of virtualization on people and processes. Use this downloadable worksheet to identify goals, dependencies, opportunities, and potential barriers to virtual machine adoption.

Assessment of business and operational needs is as critical for virtual server implementation as the assessment of technical aspects. People and process issues are more likely to be impediments to implementation than technical limitations. Identify and resolve these issues through assessments that establish baselines of business and operational measures for virtualization success.

This assessment tool allows the user to decide which servers are ideal candidates for virtualization as well as which servers should wait for further planning and development. It provides an overview of the current infrastructure in the context of technical, business, and operational readiness.

In order to protect the server room against all manner of threats, IT must audit current practices. Use the audit results to strengthen security and increase reliability for this all-important asset.

Signing a Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) contract without using the valuable benefits associated with the agreement is common among many small enterprises. Maximize the value of SA through better management and administration of SA benefits.

In order to protect the server room against all manner of threats, IT must audit current practices. To increase reliability for this all-important asset, and identify security strengths and weaknesses, use this worksheet in conjunction with the “Server Room Security Audit” tool.

In order to protect the server room against all manner of threats, IT must audit current practices. To increase reliability for this all-important asset, use this Excel-based audit tool to identify security strengths and weaknesses.

As the computing requirements of a small enterprise grow, older servers are often replaced with newer hardware even when their useful life is not over. Use these mid-life servers for less compute-intensive operations, and reduce the need for new server purchases.

Maximize the value of Software Assurance (SA) through better management and administration of SA benefits. If small enterprises cannot use the additional features included with SA, then the value of the SA subscription may be significantly reduced. Use this tool to determine the return on investment (ROI) of SA.

Even in small and mid-sized enterprises, the power and cooling of data center equipment can easily cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Employ best practices to boost data center energy efficiency and lower costs.