Hi Guys,
Please give your opinion on the following:
I’m working for a small company (about 5 users) that are currently running peer-to-peer, file sharing with XP Home PC’s, and a NetGear firewall/router that provides DHCP, no network printers – local only. Quickbooks is the primary application and they access the data files from a share on the boss’s PC. When 2 or more users are in the same company files at the same time, it really starts to drag/hesitate a lot.
They are ready to pay for a server now to consolidate all of the file shares and hopefully resolve the performance issue. My question is this? Why not just use a networked storage appliance like the one mentioned in this review?
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,119071,pg,1,00.asp
http://www.buffalotech.com/products/product-detail.php?productid=36&categoryid=16
I’ve been going back and forth between buying one of these for about $250, versus buying a “real” server and Windows Small Business server w/ 5 CAL’s for much more $$$. I keep asking myself why? Assuming they have no need for active directory, group policies, login scripts, or print queues, and they already have a DHCP server/router/firewall appliance in place, what advantage is there?
Thank you in advance for your responses.