Cloud and servers, set up for how your office works
Some offices are better off with everything in the cloud. Others still need a server down the hall for software that won't run anywhere else. We help you pick the right mix, build it properly and keep it patched, monitored and backed up.
Cloud & servers for small and medium businesses
The old office server is often the most important and least loved machine in the building. It holds the shared drive, the accounting database, the printer queues and the scanner folder, and it has been running in a cupboard for seven years on a warranty that ran out three years ago. When it fails, everything stops, and nobody remembers quite how it was set up. Replacing it in a hurry after a failure costs far more, in money and lost days, than planning the change.
We start by listing what the server actually does. Shared files usually move well to SharePoint and Teams, where staff can reach them from home without a VPN. Line-of-business software that needs Windows Server can move to an Azure virtual machine, or stay onsite on new hardware sized for the next five years. A small NAS can still make sense for large design or video files that are slow to sync. Often the best answer is a mix of all three.
Whatever we build, it is documented, monitored and included in your backup. Moves happen in planned stages, with permissions checked and a fallback ready, so staff come in on Monday to find their files where they expect them. Project work is quoted in writing first, and ongoing care sits inside your plan. You also get a plain diagram of where everything now lives, which systems depend on which, and what to do if one of them is unavailable for a day.
What's included
Server review
We map every role your current server plays, from file shares and print queues to scheduled tasks nobody remembers, before suggesting what should replace it.
File server to SharePoint
Shared drives restructured and moved into SharePoint and Teams libraries, with permissions rebuilt and staff shown where their folders went.
Azure virtual machines
Windows Server workloads moved to Azure, sized for the software that runs on them, with costs estimated before you commit and reviewed afterwards.
New onsite servers
Hardware specified, supplied and built with redundant disks, remote management and a warranty that covers the years you intend to use it.
NAS setup and care
Network storage set up with sensible shares, user permissions, snapshots and an offsite copy, plus firmware kept up to date.
Monitoring and patching
Disk health, storage space, services and updates watched, with patches applied in a maintenance window that suits your office.
Remote access
Secure ways to reach onsite systems from home, using Microsoft sign-in and multi-factor rather than open ports on the router.
Who is cloud and server work for?
This work is usually a fit if:
- Your server is out of warranty or running an unsupported version of Windows Server
- Staff struggle to reach shared files when working from home
- Your accounting, CAD or practice software needs a server to run
- You are paying for a server that mostly stores old files
- You have a NAS but nobody is sure how it is backed up
Not sure where to start?
Our free IT health check looks at your devices, accounts, backups, security and network. You get a short written report with what is working, what is at risk and a price to fix it. No obligation.
Book the health checkCloud & servers questions
Should we move everything to the cloud?
Not always. Email and shared documents almost always belong in Microsoft 365. Some software runs better on a local server, and large media files can be slow to sync. We recommend what suits your software and your internet connection.
Is Azure more expensive than a server?
It can be if it is left running oversized. Azure is billed monthly with no hardware to replace, so we compare a five-year cost for both options and size the virtual machine to what you actually use.
How long does a file server migration take?
For a typical office, planning and copying happen over a week or two while staff keep working, and the final switch is done after hours. Larger or messier shares take longer; the timeline is in the written quote.
Will our folder permissions carry across?
We review them first, because old servers often have years of one-off exceptions. We rebuild them in a simpler structure and check them with you before the switch.
Do you support servers on every plan?
Server, NAS and printer support is included in the Complete plan. On other plans it is billed at the hourly rate, $109 remote and $159 onsite plus GST.
Can you look after a server someone else installed?
Yes. We document it, check the backups and health, and tell you plainly how much life it has left.
What happens to the old server?
Once the data is moved and checked, we wipe the drives securely or keep them as an archive if you prefer, and arrange recycling of the hardware.
Other ways we help
Managed IT
One monthly price per person for support, security, updates and backups. Your outsourced IT team.
Managed IT
IT support
Remote and onsite help when you need it, billed by the hour. No plan, no contract.
IT support
Cyber security
Practical protection against scams, ransomware and account takeover, set up and kept current.
Cyber security