Hi. We're a small non-profit (~7 users) running on a Mac network. We
have an old Mac G3 acting as our server, but as we grow we're
beginning to look at upgrading to something more sophisticated. We'd
like to have some sort of data redundancy and also be able to make
regular (daily?) backups to take off-site. We would also like our
workers to be able to access the files on our server while they are on
the road. Some of the ideas we've come across while trying to figure
this out involve XServe, NAS devices, VPN, RAID...

The Apple XServe solutions seem to be a huge financial and technical
step for us. Is there an intermediate we could consider?

We are also in the final stages of deciding how to host our new
database. We are trying to decide between between an internal
FileMaker system or a web-based solution.

We need some help to decide on an appropriate solution for our small
(but growing) business. Any advice or previous experience tackling
these kinds of issues would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi there LivingRoutes,
Firstly welcome to CompuForums, I hope that you can stick around and post here rather than vanish, never to return once we've given you our advice which is a really unfair thing to do.

Firstly, for a server - if you want to cut down on costs, you can build it yourself - it's very easy to build and the components do not differ from a standard PC.
You can even re-use old parts and if you run a Linux-based OS on it then it will be very stable.

A Linux-based server can easily be made compatible with both computers that run Windows and MacOS.

For off-site access to the server, all you'll need is a reliable internet connection with a fast downstream/upstream rate, and reliable power at your premises [for 24/7 access].

And for off-site backups - there are many companies that offer this, and one of the first places to look is in the yellow pages.
You might be able to get a better deal online - or you can save costs and do it yourself by renting a server in a data center [with a backup drive installed] and uploading your data to it. You could even host your database on it, but should you lose internet access then you will also lose database access on it.

I hope that helps and if you have any more questions then please ask.
Thank you again for becoming a member of our community and I hope to see you here in the future.

__________________
Thanks,
Ash
CF Founder
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