Ready to grow your IT infrastructure without blowing the budget?
As every growing business eventually discovers, those servers need upgrading, workloads are only increasing, and those shiny new enterprise servers have eye-watering price tags.
The good news is…
Refurbished enterprise servers are a powerful alternative that smart businesses are using right now. Powerful and performant, these servers give you all the processing, reliability and performance you need, but at a much lower cost.
They also happen to be better for the planet too.
What’s In This Guide
- Why Refurbished Servers Make Business Sense
- The Benefits for Your Business
- What To Look For When Buying
- Common Concerns Answered
Why Refurbished Servers Make Business Sense
Server infrastructure demand is skyrocketing, with more businesses than ever before needing computing power to keep their data centres, cloud workloads and applications up and running.
But there’s a problem…
Enterprise servers are expensive. New servers come with those hefty enterprise level price tags. Servers that make budgets for growing small and medium sized businesses seem impossibly small.
Which is exactly why refurbished enterprise servers for your business make such good business sense. High quality refurbished equipment from reputable suppliers like Servers from ETB is all you need to get the performance and power you need, without the associated new server prices.
Think about it this way…
Refurbished servers go through a very rigorous process of testing and certification before they land on your doorstep (or in your data centre). Components get replaced as necessary. Everything gets thoroughly checked, cleaned and verified to be in working order.
The result? Hardware that performs just like new at a cost that’s 40-70% lower.
Pretty compelling right?
The Benefits for Your Business
Picking refurbished enterprise servers isn’t just about saving money. Modern businesses that move in this direction benefit from a whole host of other advantages.
Cost Savings
Okay, this one’s obvious, but it needs saying…
The price differential between buying new servers and refurbished servers is significant. Big business is changing significantly.
Those savings can be re-invested in the business, either on other IT equipment, or areas like software, training, or support costs. Or, for cash strapped startups and SMEs just trying to keep growth on track, those savings are breathing room to avoid stagnation.
Environmental Responsibility
Here’s one that’s more important than ever too…
The world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022. That’s a lot of dead and discarded electronics clogging up landfills.
Purchasing refurbished servers keeps the useful life of that equipment going longer. It keeps perfectly good equipment out of the waste stream and reduces the manufacturing demand for new products.
It’s a win-win for your business and the environment.
Immediate Availability
Buyers ordering new enterprise servers these days will often experience long lead times. Shortages, shipping delays, high demand…all of these things conspire to push delivery dates out months down the line.
Refurbished servers are generally available now.
For businesses in fast growth mode, or with an urgent need to scale up infrastructure, the almost immediate availability of this type of server is a major benefit. No more waiting weeks or months for hardware to arrive.
Proven Reliability
A common misconception about refurbished is that it means risky and unreliable…
In the world of enterprise server hardware, that simply isn’t true.
Enterprise servers are engineered to be durable. Able to handle 24/7 operation in demanding data centre environments. A server model that’s a few years old still has plenty of usable time left in it.
Add to that the fact that reputable refurbishers test every component before sale, and provide warranties with their products and the risk goes away.
What To Look For When Buying
Refurbished servers aren’t all equal. Buyers will have to look out for the following to ensure they’re getting the best hardware.
Seller Reputation
This is by far the most important point…
Buyers must only work with established, known and trusted suppliers. Refurbished enterprise server specialists. Who can back up their equipment offerings with the following:
- Years of industry experience
- Customer reviews and testimonials
- Clear return and warranty policies
- Technical support availability
A seller that stands behind its products with these things in place. Stay away from random marketplace listings or sellers without track records.
Warranty Coverage
Buyers should only purchase servers that come with a warranty from the seller.
Refurbished hardware is only risk free if that warranty can be called on in the event of a post purchase problem. Buyers should expect at least 12 months of warranty as a bare minimum, and look for extended warranty options for greater piece of mind.
Component Quality
Buyers should know what they’re getting on the inside…
Look over the specs carefully before committing to purchase. Inquire with the seller about:
- Processors (type, speed, number of CPUs etc.)
- RAM capacity and future expandability
- Storage configuration
- Network I/O and compatibility
Ask questions, and make sure refurbished hardware matches current needs with additional room for future growth.
Compatibility
Buyers should ensure the refurbished servers will work with existing environments. Operating system support and networking requirements, rack compatibility and more all need to be verified before purchase.
Don’t buy new hardware that can’t work in your environment.
Common Concerns Answered
Despite the many benefits, it’s a fact that some businesses remain unconvinced or concerned when it comes to moving to or considering refurbished equipment. Let’s look at some common worries.
“Will It Last?”
Enterprise servers are built for heavy duty use…
Designed to be operating 24/7 in high load data centre environments. A refurbished server with a few years on it is still good for years of service if maintained and built properly.
The trick is knowing the refurbisher is quality, who properly tests and certifies its equipment.
“What About Performance?”
Refurbished doesn’t mean out-of-date…
Enterprise refurbished servers will have fairly recent generation processors, plenty of RAM, and fast storage configurations. Buyers will have no problem meeting performance targets or keeping up with modern business demands.
Performance differences between refurbished servers and new will be imperceptible in most use cases.
“Is It Worth The Risk?”
Here’s something else to consider…
Server downtime costs businesses an average of $9,000 per minute when they’re not up and running. When you take into account proper warranties and support, and that choosing quality refurbished hardware from well known enterprise manufacturers significantly lowers risk.
Buying cheap new equipment from random unknown manufacturers suddenly seems like the bigger risk of the two.
Wrapping It Up
Refurbished enterprise servers are one of the most sensible infrastructure investments a business can make right now.
When you consider the following benefits stacking up in favour of refurbished servers, there’s a growing number of organisations that see the value proposition and make it part of their scaling plans.
- Cost savings of 40-70% against new hardware
- Environmental responsibility through reducing electronic waste
- Immediate availability with very short lead times
- Proven reliability through enterprise server manufacturing
The refurbished server market is only going to grow from here as more and more businesses recognise how much value is to be found in picking this path. For businesses looking to increase infrastructure in a smart way, it’s an option that demands serious consideration.
Businesses just have to first establish their current server needs. Then reach out to reputable refurbished hardware suppliers who can provide that equipment in a quality assured and certified form.
The right refurbished enterprise server is one that doesn’t just meet the demands of modern business…
It outperforms them while simultaneously keeping that budget in check.
