Check it out… Data Center Knowledge released its latest list of companies with the most servers (at least the ones that release the information).
- Intel: 100,000 servers
- OVH: 80,000 servers
- SoftLayer: 76,000 servers
- Akamai Technologies: 73,000 servers
- 1&1 Internet: 70,000 servers
- Facebook: 60,000 servers
- Rackspace: 63,996 servers
- iWeb: 35,000 servers
- SBC Communications: 29,193 servers
- Verizon: 25,788 servers
- Time Warner Cable: 24,817 servers
- AT&T: 20,268 servers
- Peer1/ServerBeach: 10,277 servers
There are the obvious names missing from this list (i.e. Google), but that’s just because the numbers are not provided. Data Center Knowledge also has a list of these non-reported 50,000+ server players. One thing that many of these companies have in common is that they are cloud companies, or companies that enable cloud computing. Sure we have a few telecom’s in the list, but they too are reaching for the sky so to speak for new revenue opportunities.
Makes you think that perhaps these same companies are the world’s largest storage customers as well…well, not so fast. I am sure many of them rank towards the top of the storage spectrum given the sheer numbers of servers they deploy, but when it comes to storage, it can be a different ball game. Sure, as more and more companies rely on cloud providers like Rackspace, the more and more storage these guys will deploy, but we cannot forget the amount of storage that still lives “on the ground”.
For example, of the 15.4 Exabytes of enterprise capacity, 2.2 Exabytes are estimated as existing in Public Clouds. That’s only 14.3%, not taking into consideration private clouds, or hybrid clouds, but still a decent indication. This is growing though. That 14.3% is projected to reach 27.6% by 2013. (Source: IDC, Dec. 2009 Worldwide Cloud Services Storage System Capacity Shipped 2007-2013)
It’s safe to say, though, that over the next 3-4 years, these server monsters will only get bigger… in Exabytes that is.
Related Posts
Cliff Notes: Seagate whitepaper on cloud computing
The cloud’s impact on digital signage
UltraViolet’s digital lockers in the sky
image by: Photograph: Martial Trezzini/EPA
[…] death of the hard drive? C’mon people… Biggest server monsters taking over the world, Exabyte by Exabyte Cliff Notes: Seagate whitepaper on cloud computing Seagate’s view of Cloud Computing’s impact […]
[…] hard drive, it’s a treasure map Storage is a 24×7 content drive thru…so “have it your way” Biggest server monsters taking over the world, Exabyte by Exabyte Share and […]