For small to medium enterprises, the technology they invest in will determine their total workload capacity and their efficiency in delivering solutions to customers.
However, the enterprise tech world is hugely competitive, with new advancements pushing the boundaries of what’s available and what is economically viable to offer customers. You’ll want your business to stay one step ahead of the competition, but not at the expense of too much capital.
In today’s article, we’ll explore pieces of tech that every SME should have regardless of budget. More capital to spend will ultimately improve the quality of the tech you can buy, but even if you are in the market for entry-level equipment, these pieces of tech are essential.
Let’s begin.
A High-Quality Switch
A switch is an essential piece of tech for SMEs, and most SMEs would only be able to operate efficiently with a switch. Even smaller SMEs will require a switch to allow their workstations and servers smooth communication that isn’t reliant on external networks such as the internet.
If your SME relies on WiFi for data transfer between devices, then you are not only slowing down the rate at which your employees can share data and be productive, but you are also opening up your operation to a level of risk that isn’t needed.
A switch keeps all your data transferring internally between your company machines.
Great quality switches will have various ports licensed and allow your operation to switch large quantities of data easily.
Entry-level switches include various Dell N-Series switches, whereas bigger operations may require more high-end switches, such as switches from the Dell Z-Series switches.
It is also worth looking at Brocade and Cisco switches, as they have an expansive selection and various functional capacities.
Efficient Transceivers
If investing in a switch won’t be useful for your operation, then perhaps a transceiver is more suitable.
Transceivers operate by allowing two machines to communicate data wirelessly within a network. There are short-range and long-range transceivers available that are enterprise-ready and transceivers that can provide connectivity for:
- SFP
- SFP+
- QSFP
- QSFP28
- XFP
These are ideal if you have frequent high-quantity data transfer requests between two specific workstations or servers during your average day-to-day functioning as a business.
Not only can they save time, but they can also increase productivity by increasing machine connectivity. Transceivers may be the data transfer solution you’ve been looking for.
Solid State Drives
Solid state drives are a type of storage device that is far more efficient than your standard hard drive disk and, therefore, can process, send, and receive data much faster than their HDD counterparts.
The downside to an SSD is that they won’t be able to store as much data and therefore aren’t ideal for solutions that require vast amounts of data to be stored – such as huge data centre storage arrays.
SSDs are ideal for providing workstations and servers with high-speed internal storage. This internal storage is often used to run a workstation or server operating system, as it can speed up a machine significantly compared to running the operating system from a hard drive disk.
If you are looking for a way to optimise machine speed for your SME, then investing in a series of premium SSDs for your workstations and servers is a brilliant option that’ll allow you to see instant results.
Offline Storage
No matter what industry you provide services within as an SME, offline storage is an essential part of day-to-day operations that you should have (if you don’t already).
Offline storage is useful for an array of reasons, but the primary reason offline storage is desirable for SMEs is the security of assets.
If you handle a lot of sensitive information, then storing this information in a way that is accessible to foreign connections is not a good idea. Even if you have a robust cyber-security solution, having sensitive information such as employee details and financial information stored offline makes it completely inaccessible to any potential threats.
Something as simple as an external hard drive disk under lock and key is a great way to secure sensitive information – from internal and external threats.
Rail Kits
For the SMEs that use rack servers, rail kits are essential, and you should always have a few backups – just in case.
A good rail kit is essential for organising your physical server configuration, making it easier to access a server for repairs, upkeep, and expansion.
Be sure to source rail kits designed for particular server models, and always buy from reputable vendors to ensure the parts are authentic and built from high-grade materials.
To Conclude
Keeping up with sourcing good enterprise tech can impact your ability to serve your current and new customers.
Keep your SME up-to-date and stay ahead of the competition!