But first:

Analyze Your Website to Know if Your Company Needs a Server Administrator

The introduction to the article already hinted we’re wading in the waters of ecommerce, but what about websites that don’t use the Internet for selling? Should they have a server administrator?

The answer to that question depends on the complexity of a website. Small companies that don’t sell online usually have simple websites. You can think of them as online business cards. They state only the necessary information on their About Us, Offer, Contact Us, etc., pages, to describe the company to clients. Those companies can make do quite well without a server administrator because they usually use shared hosting for their website.

Why Shared Hosting Works for Small Business

Shared hosting means the website resides with multiple other websites on the same server. Shared hosting is cheaper compared to the other alternatives and will satisfy the requirements of low-resource websites, such as those online business cards.

Websites using shared hosting are also convenient to maintain if something breaks on the server side. Web hosting companies have their own tech support teams who have exclusive access to the server environment. So if something goes wrong, the tech support team should fix the problem relatively fast.

Why Shared Hosting Doesn’t Work for Ecommerce or Complex Websites

When it comes to ecommerce or similarly resource-demanding websites, capabilities of shared hosting aren’t enough. First, the customization options available at shared hosting are limited, so a server administrator can’t implement all the necessary configurations and features essential to the client’s project. Then, the built-in functionalities available at shared hosting come nowhere near to the demands of complex websites.

Now let’s go back to that ecommerce shop struggling with a close to fatal website crash in the middle of the holiday shopping crave. Because the store has been set up on a shared hosting, the seasonal influx of clients caused a server overload. Or the site went down because of a hacker attack and the lack of sufficient security measures.

But it doesn’t even have to be a server overload or a hacker attack to make your customers start turning to the competition. As many as 47% of customers expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less. If a site’s load time exceeds this, customers “report dissatisfaction with website performance and are less likely to buy from that same site again” (HubSpot).

And because shared hosting is all about sharing the hardware resources with all websites a server hosts, high traffic might turn even the lightest of websites into a lagging annoyance.

Choose Dedicated Server or Virtual Server for Complex Websites

Complex websites, such as online stores, booking systems, or online learning platforms, require significant server resources (e.g., RAM memory) to execute all customer requests fast. To configure a server to meet specific project needs, a server admin needs full administrator access to the hosting environment. Server administrators need this access to install new packets, implement custom configuration, or monitor and control environment access.

Virtual servers and dedicated servers offer these functionalities and much more. They also give server admins access to the server operating system where they set up the client project according to requirements. All of it to ensure the application works as per arrangements and client expectations.

Why a Server Admin Is Important for Your Business

As you can see, being a server admin is a responsible task that ensures the safety and high performance of a website and the data it collects.

Without the help of a server administrator, even a good project with potential could quickly turn into a disaster caused by misconfiguration or negligence to implement appropriate server-side security measures.

So who could possibly handle the duty of taking care of the server? The client knows the business needs, the developer the code, but neither knows how to configure the environment in which the vision of the two should work.

Hiring a server admin will take care of those problems and many more.

The Key Responsibilities of a Server Administrator in Details

• Plan the whole server architecture, add suitable components and tools required for the project to perform fast and efficiently, and also ensure the collected data is secure.
• Focus on the technicalities and proper execution of app functions within the server environment.
• Advise on a reasonably priced server, secure it from hackers, and create a backup system to keep all the data safe, even in the event of an emergency at the server provider.
• Configure the monitoring of website traffic, to react fast with appropriate marketing algorithms before a user leaves a site.

Consider Hiring a Server Administrator

If you have a webshop, complex intranet, or CRM system, don’t hesitate and hire a server administrator. In time you’ll find that a server admin is necessary to watch over your website’s server processes. The ever-present ransomware, spam, or botnets are constantly on the lookout for ill-secured systems to infect, and then to rewire those systems to infect other ones. Think about all the personal data at stake here—the consequences of a future litigation if there’s a breach. Don’t take that risk. Take care of your customers’ safety to ensure a positive customer experience.

Polcode is an international full-cycle software house with over 1,300 completed projects. Propelled by passion and ambition, we’ve coded for over 800 businesses across the globe.

If you need a server administrator to look over the safety and performance of your website or support you in planning the whole server architecture of your online asset, contact us. We’ll be happy to help you and your business out.