>>Timothy Sipples writes: >Howard Brazee writes: >>Does a state government, even one as big as Texas, actually need 31 data >>centers and 7,000 servers scattered around 1,300 locations? If I were a >>taxpayer in that state I'd be at least curious. What are all those data >>centers and servers doing? Does anybody on IBM-MAIN work for an >>organization with 31 (or more) data centers, to provide some context? It >>seems most odd to me, even for state government. >Does my car need a couple of dozen computers?
Really bad analogy #1, IMHO. Somewhat better: how many cars do you have? >The state needs to process the data it needs to process. How many >roads does it need? Really bad analogy #2, IMHO. Somewhat better: how many highway departments does Texas have? >One trouble with data processing around the world is that many people >ask the wrong questions. Are you asking - should Texas consolidate >its data centers to fewer? I would think hurricanes would remind >people that that can leave one vulnerable. I'm not suggesting one data center. How about, oh, I don't know...23 maybe? 16? 8? Actually, having 31 data centers probably leaves the state more vulnerable to calamity, not less. (Exercise to the reader to figure that one out, but it's pretty basic.) I have no idea if 31 is appropriate or not, but it's "odd" and definitely merits asking the question. It's a very good question, I think. I also had the question whether anyone works for an organization with 31 (+/-) data centers. Somebody replied, in effect, that I do. I don't count. :-) Anybody else? >What happens in real life is some department or location finds it >easier, cheaper, and/or better (for that department's job), to have >its own computer rather than work through the bureaucracy. Centralized >planning has its downsides (look at collectivism examples). I agree that's probably why Texas ended up with 31 data centers: nobody could get along, basically, so the taxpayer ends up funding 31 data centers. It's something I harp on all the time with mainframe shops: you have the best, most flexible computing infrastructure (LPARs, VMs, etc.) for test, development, and other new work. Make darn sure you're fast, responsive, and downright eager to work with lines of business to help them in their computing needs. Texas looks like a textbook case for the value of strategic outsourcing, by the way. Personal opinions. - - - - - Timothy Sipples IBM Consulting Enterprise Software Architect Specializing in Software Architectures Related to System z Based in Tokyo, Serving IBM Japan and IBM Asia-Pacific E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
