Client-based or client/serer
Mashelle Scott
IT/240
December 20, 2013
Jennifer Gonzales

Client-based or client/serer After reading the scenario I choose a client/server model. Client/server networks employ one or more centralized servers that house critical information that is shared by everyone. Meaning, that it is comprised of a single central computer acting as a server that directs multiple other computers,(clients). They also provide centralized backup, which can be determined by the business. Also as a business expands a client server enables them to reach a shared database program no matter the distance. If there were to be an issue the company could recover the data and resume operations. With client/server model the servers are sometimes clustered in order to provide failover capability in the event hardware failure which avoids downtime and saves the company money.
In any situation the decision to employ a client-based or client-server network depends on the business in question. If the company is a small business it may do well without a costly server, as long as there is someone appointed to ensure the backups are performed. As with a bigger business it might be more important to utilize a client-server network for the reason stated above. With a larger company it will be more important in order to provide the security and stability that a client/server network gives. For example, through encryption data can be available only to qualified individuals. I was once read that a client/server network and applications are best for businesses for these five reasons, 1. Duplicate information. Duplicate data makes up the majority of data on the Internet. It is no coincidence that we see the same situation happening inside companies. How many copies of the same document are floating around each of your machines as users work on them? Sending files is extremely out of date. Files that reside on a cloud based system, or a client-server system, are accessed, modified and reside in the same location. This means there is only one copy of a single document unless specified, and then it will be a copy that everyone also has access to. 2. Human errors and mistakes. We can see from the issue of duplicates floating around on different machines, how likely it is that human error will cause issues with these files. The final copy of a presentation or invoice sent to a client might not be the final copy. This can result in more than extremely embarrassing situations. Humans make enough errors on their own without giving them more chances to do so. 3. Data safety. Backing up is essential. Making sure everyone is backing up their machine each day, or implementing procedures to do that will be time consuming and cumbersome. With a single server or a cloud-supplied server, you have a single point for backup and supply to your offsite backup service. In cases of total data failure, your disaster recovery storage retrieval and rescue plans will also be simplified. There will be only one place to reload that required data. 4. Data security. Client-server systems require access. Access is defined by the administrator, which means each user will have different levels of access. Your data is centralized, and you can control who has access to it. In traditional peer-to-peer systems, this type of data control is either non-existent, or it is very difficult to manage. 5. Software integration and updating. What happens when a new version of your software is released? Someone has to manually update all of the machines in your company. With a whole range of software applications running on all those machines, you will have conflict issues as some machines are updated before others. With client-server software solutions, the applications reside on the server. The user’s machine accesses the data, either through a very light client application, and more often than not, browser-based access is the norm. In other words, each of your staff only needs a browser on their individual machines to do all their tasks and access all the applications they need. 6. Machine control. Are you tired of staff using applications they shouldn’t be? Do you have to maintain your machines more than you should because they have applications installed, they shouldn’t? We can set our company computers to act like terminals, and in essence, users can only interact with the applications they have available.

Reference
, K. (February 11, 2012). 5 reasons why your business should be using client-server based applications. Retrieved from http://wwwnetchunks.com