Practical technology guides

Smarter IT starts with better questions.

Short, practical checklists to help you research business hardware and prepare for upgrades. Use them as a starting point—not a substitute for equipment specifications or professional assessment.

Quick reference

Six guides for small-business IT.

Expand a topic to see the checks worth making before you buy, install, or upgrade.

Servers

Buying a used server

Start with fit, compatibility, and total operating cost.

Review the checklist

Confirm model, form factor, CPU generation, RAM type and maximum memory.
Check drive caddies, rails, power supplies, fans and included storage.
Verify management access, BIOS/firmware availability, noise and power needs.
Review seller photos, test status, condition and return terms in the listing.

Networking

Choosing a network switch

Check features before comparing port counts or prices.

Review the checklist

Match required port speeds, uplinks and available rack space.
Calculate PoE requirements for access points, phones and cameras.
Check VLAN, management, security and licensing support.
Confirm software support and whether accessories are included.

Backup & Storage

Planning dependable backups

Redundancy and backup are different protections.

Review the checklist

Identify critical data, recovery priority and acceptable downtime.
Keep separate backup copies, including one isolated or off-site copy.
Estimate usable capacity, growth and network performance.
Schedule restore tests and document credentials and recovery procedures securely.

Workstations

Buying a business desktop

Focus on the software and workloads that matter.

Review the checklist

Confirm CPU, RAM, storage and OS compatibility with your applications.
Check display ports, network adapters and expansion options.
Review age, power draw, drive health and seller-provided test details.
Budget for deployment, backups, software and security updates.

Hardware upgrades

Upgrade or replace?

Balance performance gains with maintenance risk.

Review the checklist

Identify the bottleneck before buying parts.
Check compatible memory, drives, controllers, power and cooling.
Compare upgrade cost against a replacement and expected service life.
Back up important data before performing hardware work.

Infrastructure

Small-business network essentials

Keep the basics maintainable and documented.

Review the checklist

Keep an inventory of devices, service contracts and key configurations.
Use appropriate network segmentation, strong authentication and updates.
Label cables and ports, and keep a current network diagram.
Test power protection, internet failover and recovery procedures as needed.

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See our six IT service areas or use the Support Center to prepare a question with your current system details.

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