How Many Servers Can Dance On The Head Of An Administrator?

How many servers can a single administrator manage? How many terabytes of storage can one admin handle? Answers to these support ratio questions are frequently sought by Forrester's infrastructure and operations (I&O) clients. The answers to these questions are central to many budgeting, staffing, and organizational debates — but these answers are not simple or unqualified. There in fact is no single answer, and I&O professionals need to understand the factors that influence support ratios rather than rely on averages from their peer organizations. This report will detail the factors that can influence support ratios and will give I&O leaders a range of outcomes to expect depending on the factors present in their environment, which can vary greatly from ostensible peer companies.