Spec me a Server

[Fringe]

Good day peeps ,

So i have just joined a company and there is no domain servers / internal networking. Company have brought me in to get this up and running.

The Company is only 30 - 40 people max most work from home and some in the office space we have. i need to get a small server build in that i can build on server 2022 or 2025 , Need to make a domain server so that i can get things running ,

Dont have a massive budget so i am thinking decent spec PC / Server Just need some help that i can push towards my boss see what he says

 

[Armageus]

i need to get a small server build in that i can build on server 2022 or 2025 ,

Need to make a domain server so that i can get things running ,

Why do you need a Server? Why does it have to be Server 2022 or 2025? Why do you need a Domain Server?

You need a list of actual requirements, rather than jumping to the "I need a Microsoft Server based Domain".

Do you need to control/lock down users devices? Roaming Profiles/Hot Desking? File Shares? Hosted Apps? Virtual Machines? Web Filtering? Databases? Collaborative Office Packages?

The Company is only 30 - 40 people max most work from home and some in the office space we have.

If most work from home, a cloud based platform is probably more useful - either 365 or Google Workspace

Dont have a massive budget so i am thinking decent spec PC / Server Just need some help that i can push towards my boss see what he says

A Server 2022/2025 License and the associated CALS will dwarf whatever budget you were going to spend on a decent PC / Server. Plus the need for backups e.g. do you need Backup software, a NAS or even a 2nd server for Fault tolerance (especially if running a Domain)

 

[Subliminal Aura]

Wow, clearly employer and employee don't know what they need

It's a clean slate and a big opportunity for you, get the business requirements first - sit down with them and challenge - what is required for them to trade, what contingencies if any do they have, create a risk register

As @Armadillo suggested, consider pricing up cloud based services add Entra to the list if you need machine management https://azure.microsoft.com/en-gb/products/microsoft-entra-ds/

A server is not going to solve your problems, as the only IT bod your problem is explaining to the business why they need to do the following and the costs associated to them

1 - Secure the office network

2 - Secure company data (I'm guessing some of it is already in the cloud)

3 - Secure employee machines

This is the bare minimum to start up - aim for cyber essentials plus as the minimal level of governance
Start looking at IT and security policies to help guide you of best practices

If the business is unable to absorb the costs they must waiver any liability that they may want to shed your way ie ensure a RACI is setup and it's clear who is responsible and accountable in the event of business losses