article:

SERVER CONSOLIDATION MAXIMIZES COMPUTER SERVER RESOURCES, LOWERING COSTS & IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY

Server consolidation is the streamlining of servers and server locations existent in an organization, while maximizing computer server resources - consistent with the "operating lean" approach that is giving companies today a competitive edge in a robust marketplace.

The server consolidation process simply combines workloads from separate machines or applications into a smaller number of machines or applications.

The practice of server consolidation prompts companies to assess current operations and question for which companies it is most beneficial. For many businesses, it is simply a matter of economics. Reducing the high costs associated with multiple servers, allows a company to put dollars in other areas that may grow the business.

Though the benefits go beyond economics and are appealing to eco-conscious management as well - creating a more energy-efficient environment. Fewer servers mean less electricity required for operation and air conditioning required to cool the large heat-generating machines.

Additionally less hardware requires less service and maintenance and frees up valuable floor space, which conforms to the practical principles of most companies.

Over 70 percent of the total cost of ownership (TCO) for typical data centers is dedicated to labor, or contracted and outsourced services. Server consolidation is one of the most effective ways to lower the TCO of a company's data center.

In addition to the cost benefits, server consolidation also provides a more efficient infrastructure overall by enhancing security, and creating a smaller, more agile environment able to easily evolve and meet changing business requirements. And a system involving fewer servers is able to recover more rapidly from a crash or malfunction.

Consolidation is achieved through one of four methods; physical consolidation, re-hosting, logical consolidation, and workload optimization. The methods are applied either independently or simultaneously.

• Physical consolidation is the process of collecting servers distributed across multiple remote business units and consolidating them into a central data center.
• Re-hosting is the process of porting from older legacy platforms and operating systems to newer solutions.
• Logical consolidation allows a business to set up one server and replicate to all servers or manage multiple servers or systems as one resource.
• Workload optimization is where the server operating system or third party utilities can be configured to manage server resource allocation based on workload demands.

Mark 3 Systems is one of Texas' leading information technology resources and an expert in the field of server consolidation. They can perform server consolidation studies for your business in order to determine if it is the right choice, as well as identify a variety of solution options and recommendations for maximizing value and efficiency. Log onto www.Mark 3systems.com and let Mark 3 Systems start saving your company money today.