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Defragmentation Technology May Yield Same Results as Hardware Upgrades

on NT/2000, According to Tests; IDC Report

 

New York, Tuesday, June 27, 2000 � Disk fragmentation can create substantial performance degradation on both servers and workstations across a site.Industry experts have determined that defragmenting to reverse this problem can produce average increases in system performance of 20% to 80% on NT 4 and even greater average increases on Windows 2000, according to independent tests and a new report just released by IDC.

�Defragmenters are rising sharply in demand and popularity as people realize they can often deliver comparable performance gains to hardware upgrades at a fraction of the cost,� says Paul Mason, IDC System Management Software Analyst.�This might be related to the apparently diminishing returns that hardware upgrades frequently provide.�

According to IDC, file fragmentation is necessary in the OS because it expands disk storage capacity. Files are split into smaller pieces and randomly placed in available clusters. A problem develops, however, when the fragments are placed in non-contiguous blocks. The disk's read/write head must jump from track to track to find and then reassemble all the pieces of a file, causing disk latency and system delays.

IDC�s new report, �Disk Defragmentation for Windows NT / 2000: Hidden Gold for the Enterprise� provides detailed analysis on important issues including:

  • How defragmenters can provide performance gains that meet or exceed many hardware upgrades, at a fraction of the cost,
  • Preventing unnecessary hardware upgrades and extending the life of hardware as a result of regular defragmentation,
  • Real world cost analysis showing dramatically lowered overall total cost of ownership when using a network / automatic defragmenter over a manual utility.

Most companies are not fully aware of how much fragmentation is costing the bottom line.IDC hopes this report will turn defragmenting from a fringe, last resort type of activity to more of a mainline regularly scheduled system maintenance tool.Mason says, �This report helps to answer why it is vital to defragment.Also it answers why networks need something more robust than the manual defragmenter inside Windows 2000.�

IDC's new report, Disk Defragmentation for Windows NT/2000: Hidden Gold for the Enterprise (IDC #B22xxx), analyzes the performance implications of file fragmentation and its associated costs. The report discusses tests performed on defragmented systems and the result. It also looks at defragmentation as a solution to unnecessary or premature hardware upgrades and analyzes the TCO of using a network vs. manual defragmenter.

To purchase a copy of the report, contact Cheryl Toffel at 1-800-343-4952, ext. 4389 or at ctoffel@idc.com -- or -- media can receive a free copy of the report while at PC Expo from Executive Software at the Microsoft Partner Pavilion Booth #2436, Station #11.

 

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