A systems administrator is procuring hardware for a new branch office with 15 employees. The office lacks a dedicated server room or any rack infrastructure. The server will be placed in a shared office space to provide local file, print, and authentication services. Which of the following server chassis types is the most suitable and cost-effective solution for this environment?
The correct answer is a tower server. This chassis type is a self-contained unit that does not require specialized rack infrastructure, making it ideal for environments like a small office without a server room. Tower servers are designed to offer enterprise-grade performance and reliability features in a form factor similar to a standard desktop PC, which is also generally quieter than rack-mounted alternatives. A rack mount server is unsuitable because the environment lacks the required rack cabinet. A blade enclosure is designed for high-density data centers and would be excessively expensive and powerful for this small-scale deployment. A mini-PC is not an appropriate choice because it typically lacks server-grade features such as redundant power supplies, extensive storage options, and out-of-band management capabilities required for a reliable business server.