new office tech

[Fitzad]

Sorry for late reply guys got a bunch of work dump on my desk that as always needed to be finished last week.

We currently only really need file storage and back up as all we are really doing at the office atm is proposals and designs. Once we get our next project our work force will expand and we'll be hiring a full time IT guy to handle all this.

As Mekon pointed out I work in the Middle East so purchasing things for a tax write off if pointless, no tax here! Though prices aren't that much cheaper, you can find prices here if anybody is interested http://www.softland.com.sa/

So far i'm going with what Sid has suggested but Mekon you did make a good point about the problems associated with running a file server from one of the workstations so we will get another PC to run as a dedicated file server. Sid, from what I understand this is the same principle as what you were suggesting except using a dedicated PC instead?

[Scarface.au]

if you're looking for file storage/backup only, especially for the number of users you're talking about, I'd recommend just getting a NAS box, and just mapping drives.

[Auld]

if you're looking for file storage/backup only, especially for the number of users you're talking about, I'd recommend just getting a NAS box, and just mapping drives.

Thats what I said

I like Synology. But there is Thecus, Drobo, Lacie etc. etc.

[SaNE]

Once we get our next project our work force will expand and we'll be hiring a full time IT guy to handle all this.

If you're looking for an stop gap solution then just buy/build/upgrade a computer (with a decent PSU and UPS), stick a few TB's of drives in it and use the windows storage spaces in Windows 8.
Stick backup software on the PC's that are being used for the project and have them backup the work at knock off time and then shutdown the computer afterwards, letting the staff know that they aren't to shut down the computers.

Your IT guy can then come in and set up a domain along with a network and implement a suitable storage solution for the work you're doing.

[Matty]

The cad machine look on the nvidia site for what is recommended for cad design (I think it was the nvidia site that had the recommendations but a google search will provide that easily).

Just be careful with Nvidia and their workstation gear. They often like to try and sell you some expensive cards for no other reason then to jump on the "Holy ****, you are doing CAD? You guys need this!!" wagon. While their cards are useful, a lot of the time (especially upstarting small business) you wont need to fork out 5 grand for a specialty card. More often then not a decent processor and video card will do the job (for instance I use my gaming PC for all my CAD and calculation stuff). That isn't to say you might not need some specalised equipment though. Depending on what you are doing will depend on what you need to get really.

Fun fact though, the Quadro series of Nvidia cards are(were?) physically identical to their PC gaming range (well, at least this used to be the case a number of years back). With some driver hacks you could get your $600 gaming card to perform the same as the their $4,500 CAD cards. We had many lols over that in the office.

Do you honestly think 4TB of storage is going to be "not enough" for 4-5 people? Even with Cad Drawings?

They could. Depends on what they are actually doing.

[Fitzad]

@ Sane - That's exactly what this solution is, a stop gap. Atm the office is only making proposals, emailing and monitoring a site that is complete which is done through a web browser anyway. What you suggested is what we are going to go for with the file server with it being backed up to another internal and an external which will be taken off site an night.

@Matty - haha its quite funny all the people that try to sell me **** cause we are using CAD even had a guy say there is no way I could run it on my laptop, didnt say another word after I opened the electrical, lighting and fire systems drawing for a 1500 space carpark lol

Thanks for all the help guys have a fairly clear idea which direction we are going to head now. As a side note if anyone has recently graduated uni in any construction field (eg; civil/structural engineering) pm me, one of our clients is bugging me to get expat graduates to work for them.

[Matty]

@Matty - haha its quite funny all the people that try to sell me **** cause we are using CAD even had a guy say there is no way I could run it on my laptop, didnt say another word after I opened the electrical, lighting and fire systems drawing for a 1500 space carpark lol

Yeah, people have this preconceived idea that CAD = most powerful PC's in the universe. Depending on what you need will depend on what you do, and for some reason it's an area where everyone loves to chime in about their 2 cents on what is absolutely needed when they are not familiar with the programs or what is done with them.

[sid]

Just a note, buy Windows Pro version, regardless if it's windows 7 or 8 for your pc's. Anything below it doesn't support being added to a domain, if you're IT guy comes in and has to join them and it's not Windows 7/8 Pro, he'll have to pay for an upgrade on each of them before he can do so.

[Fitzad]

Thanks sid, yeah I took your earlier advice and bought all pro additions of Windows 7.