148 Understanding the Numbers NOTES 1. A server farm is a new service-offering concept in the IT industry enabled by advances in optic fiber connectivity. NT- and UNIX-based IT computer systems (., servers) are housed in a service facility, and customers are given the option of buying the service on a usage basis rather than buying the computer itself. Customers are then supplied this service through a fiber-optic telecommunication network. 2. Clients are also called fulfillers. An apt analogy in the non-ebusiness world is the role played by Wal-Mart for its suppliers (“fulfillers” in the e-commerce world), such as a Procter.
