I'm looking for some advice or pointers to good resources with regards to the following set up that I have in a small office.
Currently I am running an access split database with files in a shared folder across a wifi network, with 2-4 other machines accessing the database. The hosting PC is a pretty low spec machine running XP, and there are a few performance issues and things can slow down when running macros on Excel/Word files from the shared folder.
I intend to upgrade the hosting machine but would like to know what type of setup options I have in respect of performance and backing up the data and files.
As far as my limited understanding is, I can continue with the current setup or move to using a server and switching to an SQL server backend (which would be a separate issue in itself) for the database.
I feel that a dedicated server may be going over the top with the current size of the office, but should be considered if we expand further down the line?
If I am correct with the above, what type of spec machine should I be looking for to cope with my requirements ease. As with any small business price is also a factor!
Are there other options that I am not taking into consideration?