This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
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All that being said, in the absence of a low-cost, universally available, well-managed network, location continues to matter. Or, put more simply, there are times when you can't be too close to your servers. For example, certain applications demand much higher bandwidth and lower latency than others. Call center applications, for instance, require that the computers be located near the telephone switches.
Also consider that not all companies are global. Some regional companies, such as Producto Fernandez, the second-largest sausage manufacturer in Chile, conduct 100% of their transactions within their country. It makes no sense for Producto Fernandez to run an expensive network up to the United States and back down to Chile. It makes more sense to move the computers to the edge of the network.
For a global company, however, computers arguably are best located in the middle of the United States. It's seismically safe, has high-quality power, has low-cost real estate, is politically stable, and has large networking capacity. Although a good street address is important, you also must consider the quality of the real estate, or the quality of the physical infrastructure.