System Sizing

System sizing is the process of determining the capacity requirements of a planned system in order to meet a given future workload and service level requirement. This may include processing capacity, amount of memory and I/O capacity for servers and the network bandwidth and network hardware for network infrastructure. For any service, system availability, throughput and response time criteria determine the customer-facing service level.

Need

Determine the optimum hardware solution to meet the future workload and service level requirements
Ensure delivery of insufficient capacity does not lead to service impacting performance problems
Avoid over-provisioning, potentially resulting in stranded capital

Challenges

Poorly defined service level requirements
Lack of understanding of system workloads
Difficulty obtaining meaningful test results
System architecture not fully defined or understood
Target infrastructure not fully defined or understood
Cost of a permanently manned team or contractors

Our Service

Our staff are skilled at gathering data early in the project lifecycle to allow accurate system sizing. The system sizing service may be adopted in several situations:

In the case of developing a new application or network service, system sizing is a key milestone early in the project lifecycle as it is used to justify subsequent hardware spending
Prior to a major service change, e.g. an application upgrade, system sizing is carried out to minimise the risk of service levels being breached

In delivering this service, Capacitas will work with the client's functional teams to:

Define the boundaries of the system and its infrastructure components
Agree the objectives of the sizing analysis
Identify the execution and operational workloads of the system
Identify the service level requirements of the system
Identify and forecast the business drivers of the system
Collate vendor sizing recommendations
Determine suitable performance benchmarks to use based on industry standards or previous Capacitas engagements
Conduct performance analysis of existing client services
Define benchmark test approaches and evaluate the results

Features & Benefits

Delivering Results:

A greater level of cost control when deploying new applications or services
Correct sizing reduces the risk of hardware overspend and network service overspend
An increased level of confidence in adequately sizing servers and networks, resulting in rapid service deployment
Service providers can reduce their operating cost base whilst minimising SLA penalties

Flexible Resourcing:

Capacitas are able to supply capacity modelling staff at short notice
This allows organisations to secure additional resources during periods where team resources are constrained

Example Customers

BUPA
BSkyB

Next Steps

Review the Resources section on this page
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Call our offices on +44 (0) 20 7841 9950 to arrange a meeting