DPCs increase load of personnel

While data processing centers continue to grow technologies, the staff increase for control of servers of DPC is not obligatory. Analysts of Association for Computer Operations Management company (AFCOM) based on new polls came to such conclusion.

The majority of data processing centers during the research conducted by AFCOM or reduced personnel within the last three years - 37%, or saved the personnel at the previous level - 29%. The others - nearly 35%, increased the number of personnel.

But for the same period, according to survey of AFCOM conducted among 360 IT managers and other IT heads, nearly 74% of DPC increased the number of servers.

The fact that many data processing centers - 66%, manage a large number of systems with the same state or smaller was result.

The research of Metrics Based Assessments (MBA) company gives understanding of the events. MBA estimating up to one hundred data processing centers a year reported that in 2006 the number of the operating systems of Linux supported by system administrators (full time) was up to standard 9.2. By 2010 this digit made 17.1, i.e. 86% of a gain.

For the Windows systems during this period the gain made 61%, and for Unix - 38%, according to data of a research. "What we observe: people add the potential of systems, but do not increase the number of employees, and the personnel somehow understand everything, - Mark Levin, the partner of MBA told. - And here a lot of things are connected with increase in level of automation or questions of this plan".

But even despite technical improvements, labor productivity grows. Employees of data processing centers say that they just work more.

"The impact of virtualization of servers, the software of control of servers and automation of data processing centers, do a data processing center to more effective, - John Longwell, the vice president for researches of Computer Economics company told. - At the same time, the number of servers still grows, despite a noisy talk on consolidation of servers and data processing centers".

Nevertheless, it corresponds to a long-term trend. Operators of computers (now they are called system administrators), in 1997 totaled about 10% of personnel of IT, Longuell told. Today this share makes 3.3%.

Among other top trends participating in formation of data processing centers implementation of cloud computing is.

In October, 2009 the AFCOM overview revealed that only 14% of DPC in some form implemented cloud computing. Now this indicator - 36%.

On survey results, Jill Eckhaus, the CEO of AFCOM, reported: "We foretell that from 80% to 90% of all DPCs will implement this or that form of cloud computing in the next five years". She considers that managers of data processing centers are more interested in private clouds on factors of management and security, but assessment of their implementation also includes use of public cloud services.

Nearly 38% of the companies are expected increase in financing of data processing centers in 2011, 41% will remain in the existing framework, and 20% will cut down expenses, the study says. Ekhaus also noted that 15% of DPC have no plans of backup and recovery, and about 30% have no reserve websites. "This statistics shocks me", - she added.