Demystifying Servers

Hi everyone, welcome to this episode of Catch up with ChiroTouch. I'm your host, Dr. Brian Blask. Today's topic is all about your IT MVP.

That's right, we're talking servers and hardware. Yes, ChiroTouch is a software company, but it's important to incorporate hardware in the conversation, so you can actually use our amazing software. With me is a guest whose IT passion knows no bounds, Mr. Matt Harring, president of Ninja IT Services.

When I have questions about IT, about computers, helping clients get product when it comes to servers and hardware, Matt is my guy. Welcome, Matt. Thank you for joining me.

Thanks for having me, Brian.

So your company, Ninja IT Services, is a name that some of our listeners are probably familiar with, considering you help a lot of ChiroTouch clients. Can you tell our audience a little bit more about your background and what Ninja IT Services actually does?

Sure. So we were kind of born out of just kind of happenstance, right? So we had a billing company and a lot of time working with ChiroTouch, as we think it's pretty much the best software out there.

And going to all these conventions and things, we spent a lot of time with your IT people and salespeople kind of found out that there was a little bit of a gap. You know, the local IT crowd doesn't really understand the backbone or the infrastructure needed to run something like ChiroTouch. And we did and we kind of filled a void there.

So we actually only work with ChiroTouch customers on the IT side.

Well, that's very important. Thank you for for doing that. You're right.

It fills a void. It means that people need they need help. They need local help.

They need ways that they can always when it comes to technology, they need extra people that can help them out. So we appreciate that. Let's jump into some hardware questions, because everyone always has them, right?

I've been doing I've done thousands of demonstrations on ChiroTouch, and I work with clients that are some are more familiar with hardware. Some are less familiar with hardware. So let's start with servers.

We know they're important. We know we need them. So can you tell us what a server is and what role it plays in the office?

Sure. So you know, server is kind of a word thrown around a lot. You know, it can mean a lot of different things.

But really, in this sense, server means a computer that is running the back end of the software. So in ChiroTouch's case, it's running the SQL Server Express, which is the brain or where all the data is stored from your software.

Talk about SQL Server Express, because I know you and I have had conversations about and how people get confused about that. So can you kind of elaborate there?

So SQL Server and SQL Server Express, it gets kind of confused a lot when people come to ChiroTouch, and they immediately see, okay, we need SQL Server, they run out to their local IT, and they buy SQL Server Standard, which has a very premium price and quite a few extras that go along with it, licensing and confusion there. But really most offices will get along with SQL Server Express, which is the free version of SQL Standard. We have maybe 150 offices and maybe 25 of them actually require SQL Standard.

So it's a very one-off case. You'd have multiple locations that have been open and on ChiroTouch for a very long time before needing it. And even people right on that cusp can get on with ChiroTouch support and can get their file size reduced enough where they don't quite need to step up to that SQL Standard.

Okay, good. Thanks for clarifying that. So then that kind of goes into the next question that I always wonder about too that people always ask about is, okay, on the system requirements that we have for ChiroTouch, we talk about a server and we talk about a workstation.

So what would be the difference there between a workstation and a server?

So the workstations with a client side of the software is installed. So a SQL Server is going to be on a single computer, hopefully not being used by the day-to-day staff, and the workstations all connect to that server. Now, the confusing part here is, in the IT world, when we talk server, we're not talking just about a Windows 10 computer with SQL Express installed on it.

What we're talking about is the actual operating system. So when I come and talk to somebody, we start talking about the difference between a workstation and a server operating system is really where the big divide is. A server operating system is built for security and reliability.

So very different than Windows 10. Windows 10 is meant to be used for surfing the web and email and sending files back and forth. Security is important, but it's really, hey, let's just try to stop the occasional malware.

Server operating system literally tracks everything that's done on that computer. Anything strange is flagged if it's set up properly. All of the files are duplicated and even sometimes multiple times.

Then the server is also the hardware side. It's not just the operating system, but the hardware is built to be on 24-7-365. If you just run out to Best Buy, that will be good for your average workstation.

You're open seven to 12 hours a day. Those things go to sleep. Well, ChiroTouch, the backend is constantly running.

You've got backups running at night, you've got SQL constantly doing stuff in the backend. You want it on a piece of hardware that is built to always be on and stress test to be able to withstand that constant use.

Then what would I do if I wanted to go get a server that was compatible with ChiroTouch? Because you mentioned going out to Best Buy and just grabbing a workstation, that's different. If I want to just go grab a more robust and get an actual server, how could I get that?

obviously, you could reach out to somebody like us or your local IT that you're already using, or you could reach out to somebody like Dell or HP directly. But one of the important considerations is if you're reaching out to somebody that's not very familiar with the ChiroTouch backend is understanding what the limits of SQL Express are. SQL Express maximum will use four cores of a CPU.

Think of it like a car. If you ran out and bought a V12 Bentley, well, ChiroTouch can only use four of those cores. Maybe instead of buying a Bentley, we buy a Turbo Tarz Honda Civic.

Same way when you're looking at the servers. You can find a server with a very fast four cores, as well as quite a bit of memory. We build minimum 32 gigs of memory for these servers, so that would be something you're looking for.

I love the analogy with the car. I think it's a way people can relate to, in simpler terms, in all your IT talk, as to what we're talking about here with compatibility and speed and size.

We get quotes pretty often from local IT guys that are $5,000 to $10,000 and they're building these massive systems, and then we say, well, this is SQL Server Express, and it has very strict limitations, so three-quarters of the server aren't going to be used. Really just making sure that you have quick CPU, four core minimum, 16 to 32 gigs of RAM, and really multiple hard drives is really what's important. You want to make sure that all that stuff is backed up.

Wonderful. That's something too that people don't need to necessarily take notes on what you're saying per se right there, because I can go to chiroprotouch.com and get the system requirement sheet, which is something is a good reference to have when it comes to picking out hardware and working with your local IT professional. Talking about servers, what are some things, tips that you should not do?

Yeah. One of the things obviously is setting this stuff up on things like laptops or front desk workstations or really old hardware. One of the things is you probably want to update the server every few years as well as all of your workstations.

But even more importantly, a lot of people forget to do the operating system updates. Very important, add to your monthly or quarterly checklist is go around to all those computers, including the server, and making sure that those operating system updates have been run and installed. Making sure that any operating systems you have on your network are up to date.

Microsoft can't keep writing security patches for these operating systems that are 10 or 15 years old. The hackers out there eventually figure out how to get into these workstations. It's very important that you don't keep any Windows 7 computers, any Server 2008 or older on your network, because they can use those to get in and infect your network.

Wow. See, that's the scary stuff that people don't realize, is you want to make sure you're protected, right? Security, we talked about, you mentioned security and backup.

ChiroTouch does offer a service called CT Secure, which is automated off-site backup. Do you guys do anything with backup? Do you recommend people use secure?

Talk to me about how you handle those situations.

There's multiple layers of backup. Typically, we always suggest an on-site copy that would expedite anything if there was anything like, okay, my hard drive failed, or the computer fell over, so we spilled coffee on it. On-site is going to get you back up really quick.

But even for our clients, we really do suggest something like CT Secure. It really limits the risk. If something doesn't get backed up, they're calling you and telling you, hey, CT Secure hasn't run in a couple of days, something's wrong, let's get this up and running.

Your worst-case scenario would be, you haven't backed up in a couple of months and something happened, you're losing all of that data, and that's really your livelihood. It's really important for a couple of bucks a month to make sure that you're running something like CT Secure.

Great point. Yeah, just that extra added security and peace of mind. I love it.

Matt, you have thrown a lot of information at us, a ton of helpful tips and tricks for people to kind of shed a little more light on the worry and concern that is hardware all the time. I appreciate that. How can people get more information on you and your services?

Do you have an email address possibly you could give out?

Sure. Matt at ninja billing.com is my direct email, or reach out to any of the sales team or IT team. They've all got our contact info and phone numbers.

Happy to help with any information. We talk to IT guys pretty frequently to try to help out, figure out where your weak spots are or any update questions you may have.

Awesome. Thanks, Matt. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for sharing so much knowledge with us here. Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to another episode of Catch Up with ChiroTouch. If you want to find more episodes of Catch Up with ChiroTouch, you can go to Spotify with iTunes and go to chirotouch.com/podcast.

Again, I'm your host, Dr. Brian Blask, and I wish everyone listening a well-adjusted day.

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