Limits to Consolidation

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While server consolidation is often a smart thing to do, do not just attempt to jam everything onto one high-end Windows server. It is important to understand that the degree of consolidation that can be achieved is limited due in part to geography, as well as limits that are inherent in some applications. For example, network capacity might restrict the ability to consolidate distributed Microsoft Exchange servers. DLL conflicts, applications with memory leaks, peak traffic load conflicts, and application conflicts are other issues that may have to be considered. In addition, different database products, such as Oracle and Sybase, will quite probably not coexist in the same partition.

Politics is another reason why it is wise not to think too big when it comes to server consolidation projects. Those who have been through server consolidation report that internal politics is probably the biggest reason for consolidation project failure. They strongly advise that it is far better to start small and achieve measurable results before making too many promises. And, even when small projects reap rich and immediate rewards, do not try to tackle cross-business consolidated projects without the support of senior management. Without the complete backing of top executives, most server consolidations are doomed due to the potential for conflict that may exist.

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