Firewall issues are important to deal with right away because of the critical nature of this security device.  These devices determine what traffic is allowed in or out of a network and are primary in preventing unauthorized access.  One question we get is why support is no longer available for a particular model.  As with all things in technology, there is a finite life cycle for firewalls.  Typically security devices like firewalls are supported for many years and there is usually a very orderly process to ending support.

What is antivirus software for a small business in terms of the impact on end results - profits?  While we all know that the Internet is still the wild west in many ways as it relates to threats, how does antivirus software actually save money for an organization?

I was on vacation recently visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with my family.  Normally, I would not be thinking about the benefits of virtualization at such times, but circumstances dictated otherwise.  First, on the way to Florida, in my haste getting the luggage out of the vehicle at the airport, I forgot my iPad.  More on that later...

Is the IT services department replaced in a small business once we consolidate servers, storage or endpoints through virtualization?  This would be conflating two separate issues.  While server, storage and endpoint virtualization all reduce the number of physical devices needed to serve a small business and ease management of infrastructure, the question of whether to have an in house IT department is orthogonal.

The difference between NAS and SAN for small business owners may be described in 3 key areas below.

Deciding between SATA vs SAS is important when considering the right storage infrastructure for such key projects as server virtualization for small business.  SATA or Serial ATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment and is the next generation computer bus interface from the parallel interface ATA.  SAS, or Serial Attached SCSI, is a faster and historically more expensive interface.

If you are on Windows XP, should you upgrade to Windows 7 now?  Windows 7 has been available for a year and a half today - see Windows 7 at 18 Months.  In that blog article, Microsoft claims an average savings of $140.00 per PC per year. 

4 core vs 6 core processors are not typically something that small business owners think about.  That said, as mentioned in Small Business Virtualization Example - How To Do It All On 1 Server, the way that server virtualization works is by using a more powerful processor and more memory to take on the jobs of several less powerful processors in distinct physical servers.  These beefier  servers also cost more.  This increased initial outlay, however, means that your small business will spend less in operating costs as discussed in Will Virtualization Cost More Than A Standard Network Installation?

Here is a small business virtualization example in which we consolidate multiple servers down to one:

When developing IT strategy for a company (if such an activity even occurs), small businesses often do not understand the true impact of technology on their bottom lines.  If this is the case, IT may remain a cost and a potential drag on the business.  Following are some ways to transform IT into a profit center.