RE: Protect us from the Workgroup Mentality
i service a number of small non-profit groups in the DC area. They range in size from 2 to 50 employees. Most of them do not have a server, the larger ones have one or more servers. It is quite possible to use workgroups for those with 10 or fewer employees, and, in fact, I get fewer calls from those smaller non-profits without servers than those with. I'll generally set up one machine in the workgroups to act as a server, were all files are stored for ease of backup. If there is a central printer, it will be a networked enable printer or hang off another machine, generally the machine of the person who is deemed to use it the most.
I don't understand your comment os spending more on client PC's. With 10 full time employees, you are going to need 10 PC's whether or not you hae a server--an extra expense in and of itself.
If you are setting up the PC's yourself, there is no erratic security to speak of, since they willall have individual anti-virus and firewall protection along with the protection of the firewall built into the router. Anti-spam is generally handled by the ISP, but SpamBayes makes an excellent backup or primary anti-spam filter, etc.
Monitoring of the backup may be a problem, in that the employee in charge of the monitoring may not really pay attention to it, but since you have remote access enabled, yu can check the logs yourself as part of the service you offer them.
To RAID or not to RAID is always the question. One can have a RAID array in a workstation, and there are many servers out there without RAID. Sure it is easier to just slap in a new drive and let the array rebuild itself, but then it could take as long if no tlonger than hopping over there with a new hard drive, reinstalling the OS and running a restore.
If the organization does grow, adding s server is an added expense to be sure, but having a server prior tothe growth means that that expense, and more, has already been absorbed, and that expense could be holding the organization back from expansion to begin.
There are times, when a small organization may need a server to better serve their needs, and have less than 10 employees. That is a fact, but each organization must be looked at with a fresh view and the need for a server or lack of need must be determined.
