Does your business have more than three employees? Then most likely you need or are already using a server of some kind. Servers are an important part of the growth of any business. Regardless of your business size, having the right server can make your business more efficient. Servers are engineered to store, manage, send and process data on a 24/7 basis 365 days a year. Servers also allow and deny access to information and provide a high level of company data security.

Data is important for the continued growth and success of your business. Therefore, as your employees handle more and more data, often remotely through their portable devices such as tablets and smartphones, you will need an increased amount of storage. With a server in hand, you will still need the right server operating system to maximize its performance. The majority of servers use Microsoft windows server as their operating system, and it includes applications such as the IIS web server, security tools including a firewall and tools for supporting virtualization.

While your server won’t live forever, there are ways to keep it running smoothly.

Keep Everything Updated

Updating your server is one of the easiest ways to keep it safe from malicious attacks. While the frequency of updates will highly depend on your technology, it’s advisable to keep an eye on any new updates and ensure that everything is up-to-date. Remember to check your user accounts, security systems, and server utilization to ensure that there aren’t any issues. Slashdot recommends that you change passwords that you may be using after every 6 to 12 months.

Check the Disk Space

If you have noticed that your server is running slowly, then there is a good chance that your disk space is running low. Fortunately, you can avoid such problems by checking your drive regularly. To do this on your computer server, go to “My Computer,” right-click on your disk space and click the “properties” option to reveal the space you are using and the space available. In case your disk is full, conducting a cleanup will help your server to run more efficiently.

Verify Your Backups

You have scheduled server backups every week, and you often confirm that the backup service is running properly. However, have you verified whether your backups work? Most people often overlook the integrity of their backups in the server backup process. To verify that your backups are working, ensure that you run some test recoveries. In case you have outsourced your backups to a cloud provider, take time to understand how they verify backups.

Check Logs for Hardware Errors

Failure to check bad components can bring your server to its knees. In most cases, hardware errors will show up after Windows has started all its services. Checking the system logs for hardware issues may help increase the lifespan of your server. Sometimes updating a GPU or RAID card driver can fix the issue. In case the error persists, then you may need to replace the component. Also, keep an eye on application logs to keep track of issues that may arise in your server’s applications.

When Should you Provide Employee Training on Microsoft Windows Server?

When you have to teach your employees a new skill: If you’re upgrading your infrastructure to a Microsoft Windows server, then your employees will need proper training. Training will help them to embrace the change.

If your employees don’t know how to apply their knowledge or lack basic skills: If your employees don’t know how to use a server or the Microsoft Windows server operating system, training your employees will help close the skills gap and boost their motivation to advance in the company.

When there is a need for your company to raise its bar on performance: The transition to Microsoft Windows server may require you to raise the performance levels for certain positions. This may require you to provide training to your employees to bridge the knowledge or skill gap.

Microsoft Windows Server Training Options

With the end of support for Microsoft Windows server 2003, you’ll need to provide server infrastructure training courses to your employees to upgrade. Below are some of the training options:

• Active Directory Services with Windows Server
• Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012
• Administering Windows Server 2012
• Configuring Advanced Server 2012
• Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure
• Identity with Windows Server 2016
• Installation, Storage, and Compute with Windows Server 2016
• Networking with Windows Server 2016

Investing in your employees increases their net worth, and creates valued individuals who can take your business to the next level. Contact us or visit Infotec to view our Microsoft windows server training courses that allow for increased employee learning and enhanced performance.

For more information about Infotec or any of our programs click here: http://www.infotectraining.com/ or https://ops.infotecpro.com/course_schedule/course_schedule.cfm.