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Dumb questions on server computing

People make way too many assumptions

Lab Poll You listen to some marketeers and it’s all so simple. Whatever form of server computing they are promoting is assumed to be the answer to everything.

Back in the real world, servers are obviously used for all kinds of stuff, from running boring back office systems, through highly dynamic Web applications, to core activities around development, testing and support.

With this in mind, how are you going to mix and match approaches to meet your server computing needs? Let us know in the mini poll below:

READER POLL: Dumb questions on server computing

In this poll we're asking what application types you have, and where you run them. To keep things simple we'll limit ourselves to the following applications/workloads.

  • Lightweight workloads – production apps with occasional and/or lightweight resource needs e.g. project management tools, standalone database apps
  • Predictable workloads – production apps with significant ongoing steady & predictable resource requirements e.g. ERP, production management
  • Periodic workloads – production apps that kick in periodically with significant resource requirements, but otherwise tick over e.g. pay roll, billing
  • Compute-intensive workloads – production apps with extremely high ongoing resource requirements e.g. high transaction systems, back end to web sales system
  • Bursty workloads – production apps with fluctuating resource requirements that peak extremely highly e.g. online apps which are every now & then subject to promotions etc
  • Software in development – systems and applications being developed in-house
  • Testing environments – or example snapshots of live applications and databases used to test new features/functions
  • Support/diagnostics – ad-hoc creation of servers that mirror live environments in a support context, e.g. for recreating and troubleshooting issues.

1. For each of the above workloads or use cases, to what degree do you run them on your in-house server infrastructure?

A lot Some Very Occasionally Not at all
Lightweight workloads
Predictable workloads
Periodic workloads
Compute-intensive workloads
Bursty workloads
Software in development
Testing environments
Support/diagnostics
Other (please state)

2. Are you running any of the above workloads or use cases on third party servers, via either of the following models:

a. Traditional static hosting, i.e. renting physical or virtual servers from a hosting provider on a price per month basis

A lot Some Very Occasionally Not at all
Lightweight workloads
Predictable workloads
Periodic workloads
Compute-intensive workloads
Bursty workloads
Software in development
Testing environments
Support/diagnostics
Other (please state)

b. Dynamic on-demand hosting, i.e. paying on demand for the resources used, with no binding contract

A lot Some Very Occasionally Not at all
Lightweight workloads
Predictable workloads
Periodic workloads
Compute-intensive workloads
Bursty workloads
Software in development
Testing environments
Support/diagnostics
Other (please state)

3. Over the next 3 years do you see the increasing availability of on-demand hosting being particularly relevant to any of the following?

Yes, definitely Yes, probably Possibly Unlikely Unsure
Lightweight workloads
Predictable workloads
Periodic workloads
Compute-intensive workloads
Bursty workloads
Software in development
Testing environments
Support/diagnostics
Other (please state)

4. Over the next 3 years do you see your organisation adopting a dynamic, on-demand but internally managed hosting model for any of the following? (some people call this 'private cloud')

Yes, definitely Yes, probably Possibly Unlikely Unsure
Lightweight workloads
Predictable workloads
Periodic workloads
Compute-intensive workloads
Bursty workloads
Software in development
Testing environments
Support/diagnostics
Other (please state)

5. Finally, is there anything happening in IT today that you think will have a significant impact on how and where you run any specific workloads, or do you think things will just be "more of the same"?

BEFORE YOU GO

6. Approximately how large is your organisation (worldwide) in terms of employees?

Less than 10 employees
10 to 50 employees
50 to 250 employees
250 to 1,000 employees
1,000 to 5,000 employees
5,000 to 10,000 employees
Over 10,000 employees

7. Which of the following best describes your core business?

Software development (products, packages)
Software development (bespoke/custom)
Systems integration
Other IT
Private sector
Public sector
Other (please state)

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