3 Cost-Effective Enterprise Servers To Consider in 2023

If you run any digital enterprise, you’ll know the importance of enterprise servers to run your operation smoothly. Investing in the right bit of tech can make the difference between an operation running like a well-oiled machine versus an operation that struggles to keep up with customer demands. 

Part of providing exemplary service to your customers has the tech to do so. But in 2023, there are many different server options to choose from. That begs the question, what do you choose? 

Today’s article will cover a range of enterprise-grade servers ideal for business operations. We’ll cover various server types for operations of all scales to ensure there’ll be a good option for everyone to consider. 

Let’s begin with the following: 

HP Proliant DL380 Gen 10 Server 

Developed by HP, the Proliant line of servers is responsive, robust, and very cost-effective for the hardware they house.  

Generally, only the generation 9 and generation 10 servers are worth buying into in this day and age – for these servers offer plenty of opportunity to scale your operation in the future if need be. 

Their generation 10 servers, such as the DL380, are impressive machines designed to tackle even the most complex workloads for large operations. 

A mid-to-high-level option for a Gen10 server boasts the following specifications: 

• Two Intel Xeon Silver 4114 CPUs (10 Cores, 2.2GHz clock speed)
• HP iLO4 Standard Remote Access feature
• Two Dual Redundant Power Supplies (PSUs)
• 64GB DDR4 RAM (supplied in 4x16GB modules)
• HPE Smart Array P408i-a RAID controller
• HP Ethernet 1 Gb 4-port 331i Adapter (embedded into the machine)
• Two 600GB SAS HP Enterprise Class hot-swap hard drive disks (10,000 RPM, 6Gbps, 2.5”)
• X8 way backplane (can handle up to 8 x 2.5” drives, SAS, SATA or SSD)

These specifications can easily handle a broad range of different operations required for medium to large enterprises. As such, they come with an appropriate but fair price tag of around £2,700 – £3,250 per server. 

If you already have hard disk drives compatible with a DL380 Gen10, then you can save a few hundred depending on the configuration of the DL380 you choose. 

HP Proliant ML350 Gen 10 Server 

Another solid choice for your enterprise is the ML350 variant of the HP server from generation 10 – which comes as a tower unit rather than as a rackmount chassis. Much like the DL380, this machine is ideal for medium to large-scale operations as its capabilities offer any enterprise plenty of power for current and future demands. 

The entry-level, lower end of the ML350 range features the following specifications:

• Two Intel Xeon Silver 4112 2.6Ghz Quad-Core CPUs
• 8 x 600GB SAS HP Enterprise Class hot-swap hard drive disks (10,000 RPM, 6Gbps, 2.5”)
• 64GB DDR4 RAM (4x16GB modules)
• HPE Smart Array P408i-a RAID Controller
• HP iLO5 standard remote access system
• HPE Ethernet 1Gb Quad Port 369i Adapter
• x8 way backplane that can support 8 x 2.5” drives (SAS, SATA, SSD)
• x2 Dual Redundant Power Supplies

This kind of server is a great option for those who need a standalone server for in-house or client use and don’t already have a rackmount server setup (and prefer tower servers). 

A server such as this costs in the range of £2,700 – £3,300. 

Dell PowerEdge T130 Tower Server 

A more entry-level friendly server is the Dell T130, designed for smaller-scale enterprises or SMEs that require a small in-house server for their internal networking. Its modest price and impressive capabilities make it a popular choice with specifications such as: 

• An Intel Xeon E3-1270 v5 Quad-Core 3.6Ghz CPU
• Two 1TB SATA Dell Enterprise Class cabled hard drive disks (7,200 RPM, 6Gbps, 3.5” form factor)
• 8GB DDR4 RAM (2x4GB modules)
• iDRAC8 Basic License (remote access)
• PERC S130 Raid Controller (software) exclusively for SATA Drives
• Single Fixed Power Supply
• Broadcom 5720 1 Gbps Dual Port Network Integrated Card (with two ports)
• x4 way backplane (supports up to 4 x 3.5” SATA or SSD cabled drives)

All these features can be available to your enterprise for between £390 – £470. 

In Conclusion

Choosing a server to implement for your in-house internal network or expand your capabilities of hosting client files is challenging.

Choosing a server just right for your current needs may quickly become overused when your business goes through a growth phase. Equally, overspending on a server where you’ll likely not even use 20-30% of its functions is not a good choice either. 

Assessing your current and future needs is essential to picking the right server for your enterprise. 

As a last note, always check compatibility before committing to a purchase.