Sorry so long... (edited to add server details)
-roofing contractor
-4 office/management employees
-2 desktop Windows 7
-2 notebook Windows XP
-2 notebooks and 1 desktop are mapped to Z drive on 1 main desktop and sync to offline files through LAN, but notebooks could also go WAN
-1 printer accessed thru LAN, but can go WAN
-1 external hard drive backup on main desktop
-all users use Excel and Word based files, but one employee suggested using Access which noone else is familiar with
-1 user uses Quickbooks, but just for internal accounting and payroll. Proposals and invoices are done in Word by 3-4 people
-we use some Excel-based forms for estimating, no stand-alone programs
-we currently use no database programs
-we've discussed getting tablets to do bids off-site, not sure if it would be better to be connected to network off-site or just sync-up when back in office.
-have had issues 2-4 times a year with not being able to access Z drive from other three computers. Also, get kicked "offline" when wireless, multiple times a day (which is why we stay wired when possible)
-we've discussed being able to access the network from off-site
Please keep in mind I am taking these items from their quotes (I am not very knowledgeable myself)
Had two companies give us quotes:
Company #1 has been our IT company for two years. Not the best service (many different people sent out and no one knows the background info, so we have to explain EVERYTHING each time. Each person has a different opinion.)
-off-site backup to their location
-Cisco ASA 5505 - 50 user network firewall w/ VPN
-QNAP TS-419 NAS w/ 2 tb storage in Raid-5
Company #2 we've never used before, but were recommended by an IT guy at a local bank
-INTELSERVER (Some of the specs:Intel S2400SC2 dual-socket server board, single Intel Quad Core Xeon E5-2407 2.2 GHZ processor with 10MB cache installed, expandable to 32 GB, 1333MHZ registered ECC SDRAM, Inntel P4304XXSHDR 4-U Pedestal Server Chasis with dual 460-Watt redundant power supplies)
-Gave an option to make RAID-5
-MS Windows Standard Server 2012 64-bit Open License
-MS Windows Standard Server 2012 64-bit user client access license
-Symantic backup exec 2012 and said we should just get 5 external hard drives and keep switching them out
-Windows 2012 Remote Desktop Services CAL
or
-Netgear RNDP4000-100 NAS with 3 WD1003FBYX enterprise-class hard drives for a total of 2-TB RAID-5 capacity
and
-they suggested cleaning up our infrastructure (panels, cabling, etc.) and changing our router configuration (said we have a wireless router and a cable modem and we should reconfigure the wireless router because there are too many IP address. I'm sure they would have explained that better) The other guys never suggested any of that. I realize that I sound like I've already chosen a company, but these guys didn't seem to know much at all about NAS devices and really only quoted one because I said the other company did. They were pushing the server pretty hard.
I guess I'm not sure if we should go the NAS route or the server route. Server is more expensive, and I worry that we won't actually need it for a few years yet, and may be too old by then. Or is there even some other option I don't know of?
Thanks for the help!!
-roofing contractor
-4 office/management employees
-2 desktop Windows 7
-2 notebook Windows XP
-2 notebooks and 1 desktop are mapped to Z drive on 1 main desktop and sync to offline files through LAN, but notebooks could also go WAN
-1 printer accessed thru LAN, but can go WAN
-1 external hard drive backup on main desktop
-all users use Excel and Word based files, but one employee suggested using Access which noone else is familiar with
-1 user uses Quickbooks, but just for internal accounting and payroll. Proposals and invoices are done in Word by 3-4 people
-we use some Excel-based forms for estimating, no stand-alone programs
-we currently use no database programs
-we've discussed getting tablets to do bids off-site, not sure if it would be better to be connected to network off-site or just sync-up when back in office.
-have had issues 2-4 times a year with not being able to access Z drive from other three computers. Also, get kicked "offline" when wireless, multiple times a day (which is why we stay wired when possible)
-we've discussed being able to access the network from off-site
Please keep in mind I am taking these items from their quotes (I am not very knowledgeable myself)
Had two companies give us quotes:
Company #1 has been our IT company for two years. Not the best service (many different people sent out and no one knows the background info, so we have to explain EVERYTHING each time. Each person has a different opinion.)
-off-site backup to their location
-Cisco ASA 5505 - 50 user network firewall w/ VPN
-QNAP TS-419 NAS w/ 2 tb storage in Raid-5
Company #2 we've never used before, but were recommended by an IT guy at a local bank
-INTELSERVER (Some of the specs:Intel S2400SC2 dual-socket server board, single Intel Quad Core Xeon E5-2407 2.2 GHZ processor with 10MB cache installed, expandable to 32 GB, 1333MHZ registered ECC SDRAM, Inntel P4304XXSHDR 4-U Pedestal Server Chasis with dual 460-Watt redundant power supplies)
-Gave an option to make RAID-5
-MS Windows Standard Server 2012 64-bit Open License
-MS Windows Standard Server 2012 64-bit user client access license
-Symantic backup exec 2012 and said we should just get 5 external hard drives and keep switching them out
-Windows 2012 Remote Desktop Services CAL
or
-Netgear RNDP4000-100 NAS with 3 WD1003FBYX enterprise-class hard drives for a total of 2-TB RAID-5 capacity
and
-they suggested cleaning up our infrastructure (panels, cabling, etc.) and changing our router configuration (said we have a wireless router and a cable modem and we should reconfigure the wireless router because there are too many IP address. I'm sure they would have explained that better) The other guys never suggested any of that. I realize that I sound like I've already chosen a company, but these guys didn't seem to know much at all about NAS devices and really only quoted one because I said the other company did. They were pushing the server pretty hard.
I guess I'm not sure if we should go the NAS route or the server route. Server is more expensive, and I worry that we won't actually need it for a few years yet, and may be too old by then. Or is there even some other option I don't know of?
Thanks for the help!!
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