Servers and Backups
Server support and business backups, with restores that get tested
Server support in Nottingham for Windows and Linux, physical and virtual, on site or in a data centre. Installed, monitored, patched and maintained, and backed up to two places with restores tested on a schedule, because an untested backup is a guess.
- Windows and Linux
- Hyper-V and virtualisation
- Restores tested, not assumed
Server support, wherever the server sits
Whether your server is in a cupboard on site, in a data centre, or split across both, it gets the same monitoring and the same response. We install, patch, monitor and maintain Windows and Linux servers, including Hyper-V and virtualised environments, and we document what is there so the knowledge is not sat in one person’s head.
Servers are priced separately from the per-user fee on our business IT support plans, at £60 to £100 per server per month depending on role and size.
Server cover sits alongside our business IT support.
Prices for both are on the monthly IT support plans and pricing.
What server support covers
- Installation, configuration and migration of Windows and Linux servers
- Hyper-V hosts, virtual machines and the storage underneath them
- Monitoring for disk, memory, service and hardware health, alerting us rather than you
- Patching on a schedule, tested and reversible rather than applied blind
- Active Directory, file shares, permissions and group policy
- Line-of-business application support alongside the vendor
- Capacity planning before you run out of disk, not after
- Documented builds so a rebuild is a procedure rather than an archaeology project
What "backed up" actually means
Automated backups running on site and to the cloud, with restores tested regularly rather than assumed. That second half is the part that gets skipped everywhere, and it is the only half that matters on the day you need it.
We hold copies in two places for a reason. A local copy restores fast, which is what you want for a deleted folder or a corrupted database. An offsite copy survives the things that take out the building: fire, flood, theft, or ransomware that reaches the local backup as well as the live data.
A hardware failure or a ransomware incident should be an afternoon of recovery, not an existential problem for the business. If you are not currently backed up in a way that has been proven to restore, that is usually the first thing we fix.
There is a full guide on what backed up actually means.
Not sure whether your backups work?
Most businesses are not, and the honest way to find out is a test restore rather than a green tick on a dashboard. We will do one as part of the free review.
Get in touch
Talk to us about servers & backups
A few lines is enough. We will tell you straight whether we can help, what it would cost and how quickly we can be there. No hard sell, and no follow-up sequence if you decide against it.
- We reply within one working day
- A straight answer, including when it is no
- Free process review available, before any money changes hands
Would rather just ring? 01623 354250, Mon–Fri, 9am–5:30pm.
Frequently asked questions
If the answer is not here, ask us. You will get a straight one, from someone who does the work.
Mon–Fri, 9am–5:30pm
What happens to our data if a server fails?
Clients on our plans have automated backups running to both local and cloud storage, with restores tested on a regular schedule. That means a failed server is a recovery job measured in hours, not a permanent loss. If you are not currently backed up, that is usually the first thing we fix.
How much does server support cost?
Sixty to a hundred pounds per server per month on top of the per-user fee, depending on role and size. That covers monitoring, patching, backup verification and restore testing, because a domain controller and a line-of-business database are not the same amount of work.
How often should business backups be tested?
At least quarterly for a full restore, and monthly for a spot check of individual files. Anything less frequent and you are relying on a backup job reporting success, which is not the same thing as a backup that restores.
Do we still need a server, or should we move to the cloud?
It depends on what the server does. File shares and mail usually belong in the cloud now. Line-of-business applications with a local database, or anything that needs to keep working when the broadband drops, often do not. We will give you the honest comparison including the running costs of both.
Can you support a server you did not install?
Yes, and most of the ones we look after fall into that category. We audit and document what is there first, tell you what we find including anything genuinely risky, then take it on.
Do you cover Linux as well as Windows?
Yes. We run Linux ourselves for hosting and application work, so it is not an unfamiliar corner for us the way it is for a lot of small MSPs.