Hardware Sizing

Hardware sizing, or accurately predicting the size of hardware for new or upgraded applications, is a complex and error-prone process. When purchasing application software, the vendor will often have you complete a checklist; they will then come back with recommended sizing. However, there are no guarantees and the estimated hardware is often inaccurate, particularly since hardware costs may affect your software purchase decision. Many times, you may not know exactly how the business will be using the software, therefore forecasting volumes and usage is difficult. The following are suggestions on how companies have reduced costs in this process:

"Server virtualization allowed us to reduce our quantity of servers by 40%."

—Gail Farnsley
Purdue University
(former Cummins CIO)

• Hire the hardware vendor (e.g., IBM, HP, or Sun) to do the hardware sizing estimate. At times, they provide some guarantees and upgrade options to reduce your risk
• Do a small-scale pilot to forecast overall needs.
• Several months after implementation of new software, go back and audit the sizing. Downsize or shift hardware if it can reduce your costs.
• Consider virtualizing servers. Sizing is much less critical as you have more flexibility and do not have to worry about sizing specific hardware for specific applications.
• Consider hosting services until exact sizing requirements are known through actual usage statistics.