Where Is Fully Automatic Defrag Needed?

BURBANK, CA--(Marketwire - August 17, 2009) - It may seem that defrag is only needed on
certain systems in a network. For example, a file server has constant
read/write activity, so that would be a no-brainer. Perhaps it might also
be needed on a mail server, since there is also constant activity going on
there. And a company certainly wouldn't want a database server slowing down
because of file fragmentation.

But if you step back and take a look at the larger picture, having some
components of a system defragmented while others are not is not a sensible
approach. Just take a look at it in basic terms: if server A is
defragmented and running smoothly, and is transmitting data to server B
which is not, what will be the effect? The extra speed will be hampered, as
server B is saving files at a much slower rate. And if server A is
accessing data from server B, it will take far longer for server B to
provide that data -- no matter how quickly server A can process it once it
is received.

The same could be said for workstations, PCs and laptops within a network.
A user is the one generally working with data once it has been accessed. If
that user's productivity is being slowed by fragmentation on his or her
system, the gains obtained by defragmenting a server being accessed by all
users are considerably diminished.

The answer then might seem to defrag all systems in a network, so that all
are running at maximum performance and reliability. This would be true --
but it is also true that if the correct defrag technology is not used, the
same effect as only defragging some of the systems will be in play. If
defrag is being scheduled, that means that systems must be defragmented
when time is available to do so. On today's servers, this is becoming
extremely rare. Also, in between the runs that can be scheduled,
fragmentation continues to slow down systems all across the network.

The most cost-effective solution is to implement a fully automatic defrag
solution across your entire network -- and forget about the fragmentation
problem from there on out. Such a solution continuously defragments, in the
background, using only otherwise-idle resources. With every system on the
network defragmented, the entire enterprise cannot help but run at peak
performance for everyone.

So yes, defrag is vital to all systems. But it also must be the correct
defrag.