Courtney Minich
Flash Research #2
Our business is running extremely inefficiently compared to industry standards; we are
losing potential revenue and valuable time. These problems can be solved with an easy,
inexpensive solution. When configured correctly, a Windows-64 bit processor can vastly
outperform our current 32-bit processor, which will increase productivity within our business. A
majority our competitors are installing the 64-bit software. Within two to five years, this
operating system will be considered mainstream and therefore the only processor offered to
businesses by Microsoft (Weiss 52).
Currently, our processor has difficulty using any application installed that processes more
than 2 GB. This is because the processor takes up about half of the provided storage space
(Kenny). Considering most of our ERP systems and other applications are larger than 2GB, the
32-bit processor is running slower than anticipated, which decreases productivity in the order
processing department. With the implementation of a 64-bit processing system, data retrieval
will take milli-seconds as opposed to seconds and user productivity will be more efficient. This
fast data retrieval speed grants users an additional 2-30 minutes of work time per day, an
increase of around 3% productivity (Gillen). The other major advantage to implementing a larger
processor is storage space. 64-bit systems are programmed to run more quickly than 32-bit
systems. This implies that there is more storage space on a single 64-bit processor than multiple
32-bit processors. When using this system, industry averages report that businesses need almost
40% fewer servers to conduct business applications, such as ERP (Gillen). Taking into account
the massive physical RAM storage, it is unlikely that our processors will face any overload
during high peaks of data retrieval.
Within two to five years, 64-bit processors will become main stream in the corporate
world. Our company, on the cutting edge of production techniques, should be on the frontline of
this technology endeavor. Compared with industry standards, when successfully installed, a 64bit processor allows a decrease in server usage by 40%. This reduction in server costs can be
redistributed to other areas of the IT department. Specifically, comparing our business against
industry standards, this equivocates to a savings of $2000 per hour in server usage (Gillen). The
ROI on implementing 64-bit processors is less than two years, but the immediate productivity in
the company is instantaneous.
Works Cited
Gillen, Al. “Understanding Business Benefits Associated with x86 64-Bit Windows
Server.” White Paper. Sept 2007. IDC.com
Weiss,George. Hype Cycle for Server Technologies, 2010. Gartner, 13 July 2010. PDF.
Kenny, Jay. “Windows Client 64-Bit Roadmap and Business Opportunities.” Microsoft
Corporation. PPT.