Our office setup has been slowing down lately, especially when handling files and databases. From what I’ve seen, having a clear system for organizing and managing data makes all the difference, and we know that well-structured servers storage not only improves performance but also helps with reliability, easier scaling, and better data management. Right now, though, everything—files, databases, and backups—is sitting on a single machine, which is starting to drag down performance.

Since we’re a small business with a limited budget, I’m trying to figure out the smartest path forward. Should we look at separating workloads so databases aren’t competing with backup processes? Is it realistic for a company our size to consider NAS or even SAN, or would that be overkill? I’m also curious about what affordable upgrades actually move the needle in terms of speed and stability, and whether a hybrid approach with some cloud storage makes more sense than keeping everything on-prem. Finally, I’d love to hear what tools others are using to keep track of storage usage and pinpoint bottlenecks before they become real problems.

If you’ve gone through a similar transition, what worked best for you?