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Here is some basic information about on premise solutions that applies to different business sizes. The on premise specifications differ depending on the scale of your business so start by selecting the size that relates to you.
1-5 users
As a general rule, small deployments of between 1 and 5 users are deployed with the Jiwa client installed on the desktop machines of each user, and each client communicating with the MS SQL Server via direct LAN connection.
For any geographically remote users, it is recommended to utilise a Remote Desktop Services server (RDS) as discussed in the medium sized deployments section below.
As the number of users rises above 5 users, the management burden of deploying patches and providing a consistent user experience increases. Whilst the infrastructure will certainly handle more concurrent users easily, the cost benefit of moving to an RDS scenario becomes apparent.
For ultra-small deployments of 1 or 2 users, the SQL Server can be installed on a desktop machine, and the free edition of SQL Express could be utilised when cost is a significant factor. Whilst this solution will not scale well, it does eliminate the hardware and software cost of a dedicated SQL Server.
5-50 users
Management is a primary concern with medium sized deployments. Managing software on many tens of desktops can be difficult and time consuming. For that reason, RDS services is utilised.
The RDS Server hosts a Windows desktop environment for each user on the RDS Server, and the presentation layer (screen, keyboard, mouse and audio) is relayed to and from the physical users desktop and the RDS Server. As this technology utilises the RDS Server’s hardware for running the application, the hardware requirements for each desktop are reduced considerably.
As the applications installed on the RDS Server are shared amongst all users, an application needs only to be installed once on the RDS Server, saving considerable time in installation and maintenance.
50-200 users
When the single RDS Server topology is unable to cope with the number of concurrent users, then the topology need to change to introduce many RDS Servers.
Technology such as virtualisation or Citrix can be utilised to automatically load-balance users onto the most appropriate RDS Server, or a manual designation can be used.
The management burden is increased with each additional RDS Server, as the applications and patches will need to be installed maintained on each RDS Server.
As the organisation grows, and the number of concurrent users increased, additional RDS Servers can be added to spread the load.
As SQL Server cannot be have its workload distributed in this fashion, the only alternative is to scale the SQL Server hardware up – that is, to increase the RAM, CPU and disk capabilities.
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The Jiwa Definitive Guide is designed to help you work out what business management software you need. It not only helps you choose what system you need but also guides you through how to prepare your business to apply the new system.