This page covers a physical server installed on your premises. Before requesting one, confirm the need: some uses can run on a server hosted by a cloud provider, described on the Cloud server page. Product names are mentioned only to describe the need; Courtier TI is not affiliated with their manufacturers.
Short answer
You describe the software, users and data the server must host: your request is reviewed by the Courtier TI team, then entrusted to the IT services company that will prepare your quote and supply the server. Configuration, backups and installation are set with you.
What the quote should cover
- Needs analysis: hosted software, number of users, data volume
- The server configuration: processors, memory, storage and redundancy
- Operating system licences and user access licences
- The backup solution and restore tests
- The UPS and installation conditions on your premises
- The manufacturer's warranty and on-site service level
- Data migration from the old server and wiping of its drives
Confirm the actual need
Describe what the server must do rather than the machine you want: which software it hosts, how many people connect to it, how much data it keeps and how that volume changes. State whether a software vendor requires an on-premises installation, and attach its technical requirements if you have them.
Also state what happens if the server stops: which employees can no longer work, and how long the business can do without it. These answers guide the redundancy, backups and service level to ask for. If some uses can move to the cloud, the Cloud server page describes that option.
Storage and redundancy
State the current data volume, its expected growth and the type of files (documents, plans, photos, videos, databases). Ask the quote to state which components are redundant (drives, power supplies, network connections), what that redundancy protects and what it does not, and how the data is also backed up.
Backups and restore
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security's baseline cyber security controls for small and medium organizations ask organizations to back up systems that contain essential business information and to ensure that recovery mechanisms effectively restore these systems from backups. The Centre also recommends considering offline, offsite copies, and storing backups in an encrypted state with restricted access (BC.7.1 and BC.7.2).
Ask the quote to state what is backed up, where the copies go, who checks that they work and at what frequency a restore is tested. The Data backup page covers these questions in detail.
Server licensing
The server itself is only part of the total cost: licences are also needed. For Windows Server 2025, Microsoft's Windows Server 2025 licensing guidance states that the Standard and Datacenter editions are licensed per core: all physical cores on the server must be licensed, subject to a minimum per processor and per server. Each user or device that accesses the server also requires a client access licence (CAL), and access to some advanced functionality, such as Remote Desktop, requires an additional access licence.
So state the number of users and devices that will connect, and whether employees need to sign in to the server remotely. Other hosted software, such as a database, may have its own licensing rules: ask the quote to specify them.
Installation, power and environment
Describe where the server will be installed: dedicated room, network cabinet or office, ventilation, controlled access. State whether you want a UPS so the server shuts down cleanly during a power outage, and whether other devices must be connected to it. Also ask who monitors the server's health after installation; the Proactive monitoring page describes this service.
Manufacturer's warranty and end of life
A server's manufacturer's warranty varies by model and by the options chosen, including the on-site service method. Ask for its length, what it covers and what happens to a failed drive that is replaced, since it may contain company data. Also ask until when the manufacturer plans to provide updates for the proposed model: the Centre asks organizations to assess whether to replace hardware that is not capable of automatic updates (BC.2.2).
According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security's publication ITSAP.40.006, deleting files is not enough: the data is still recoverable. A factory reset makes data inaccessible through the device's interface but does not truly erase it. The Centre describes other methods: overwrite and secure erase, crypto erase, which is suitable when encryption has been used from the beginning of the media's life cycle, and degaussing, which does not work on solid-state drives. For highly sensitive data, it recommends combining sanitization with physical destruction. The drives of an old server are covered just like those of a computer.
If the devices hold personal information, Quebec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector provides that once the purposes for which it was collected or used are achieved, the business must destroy or anonymize it, subject to any preservation period provided for by an Act (s. 23). The quote should specify the wiping method, who performs it and what document you receive.
What to specify in your request
- The software to host and its known requirements
- The number of users and devices that will connect
- The data volume and its expected growth
- How long the business can tolerate a server outage
- The planned installation location and available power
- The old server to replace, if any
You can then describe your project: the team will contact you to clarify your needs and provide a quote.
Frequently asked questions
On-premises or cloud server: how to decide?
Start from the software and constraints: software that must be installed on your premises, a large data volume or a limited internet connection may point to an on-premises server. The Cloud server page describes the other option, and one request can cover both.
Which licences does a Windows server need?
According to Microsoft's Windows Server 2025 licensing guidance, Windows Server 2025 Standard and Datacenter are licensed per physical core, and each user or device that accesses the server requires a client access licence (CAL). Remote Desktop requires an additional access licence.
Is backup part of the quote?
It should be. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security asks organizations to back up systems that contain essential business information and to ensure they can be restored (BC.7.1). Ask the quote to specify the solution, where the copies are kept and how restores are tested.
Do we need a UPS?
State in the request whether the server must be able to shut down cleanly during a power outage and which other devices must stay powered. The IT services company can then include the UPS in the quote.
What should we do with the old server's drives?
Wipe them before getting rid of them. According to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security's publication ITSAP.40.006, deleting files or resetting a device is not enough; for highly sensitive data, the Centre recommends combining sanitization with physical destruction.