ON THE ESSENCE OF HARDWARE PERFORMANCE

Abstract

The computerization and adoption of information technology are key factors in the economy and society of the 21^st century. The widespread usage of computer systems and networks, software and services leads to an increased spending on information and communications technology, which reaches almost 4 trillion US dollars annually. The spending is done both by business organizations and ordinary home users and is of such number that demands a theory and methodology for assessing its value and efficiency. Thus the purpose of this paper is to study the essence of computer hardware performance in the light of the ever-increasing user needs and to develop a methodology for assessing its value. Hardware performance is considered as an economic equivalent of its value and revenue. Based on the observation and data that users' needs increase in time, hardware performance is also examined dynamically and in perspective. As needs increase exponentially, it is not a trivial task to assess needs in time. As needs increase, relative performance of the used hardware decreases. Therefore a mathematical system for measuring the different types of performance is proposed. Using this methodology business and ordinary users can analyse their future needs and compare them to the expected hardware performance. The results of applying the proposed system could lead to better business spending policies and an increased efficiency of expenditures on hardware.