Cloud computing

[Uifareth_Cuthalion]

Every time I sit waiting for the servers to come back online (as I am now), or die because of lag, I wonder why you haven’t yet made the switch to cloud computing; more precisely, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Have you considered it recently? It would let you outsource hardware maintenance so you can focus on game development, while drastically reducing downtime and lag. It would even let you combine all your server worlds into one, if that has appeal. I expect it would cost less than you currently spend on server maintenance, although I could be wrong. The only downside is you might have to lay off some IT folks.

Full disclosure: I have no personal stake in IaaS services. My only stake is as an avid DDO consumer/player.

[gravisrs]

Having your own structure is cheaper, even if you need to hire a SysOp from time to time.
IaaS are expensive if you need a huge chunk of hamster power - it's cost effective only on smaller scale.

[Thrudh]

Every time I sit waiting for the servers to come back online (as I am now), or die because of lag, I wonder why you haven’t yet made the switch to cloud computing; more precisely, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Have you considered it recently? It would let you outsource hardware maintenance so you can focus on game development, while drastically reducing downtime and lag. It would even let you combine all your server worlds into one, if that has appeal. I expect it would cost less than you currently spend on server maintenance, although I could be wrong. The only downside is you might have to lay off some IT folks.

Full disclosure: I have no personal stake in IaaS services. My only stake is as an avid DDO consumer/player.

Heh, how do you know it will drastically reduce lag?

It can also cost more, not less, depending on certain variables.