Introduction
This brief highlights the main trends that we anticipate in the virtualization market in 2009.
Scope
*Provides an overview of the principal challenges facing virtualization vendors in 2009.
*Outlines take on the future of virtualization both from a technology and business perspective.
*Discusses strategies that could help virtualization vendors and their clients to position themselves to benefit from these trends.
Report Highlights
*Virtualization can offer many business benefits, which include more efficient dynamic provisioning, high levels of availability, resilience and business continuity, all while making effective use of IT resources, once these resources are decoupled (to a certain degree) from the constraints of physical characteristics.
*The cost reductions and environmental benefits derived from managing power requirements for a desktop infrastructure are less pronounced than those in a data center environment. Nevertheless, desktop virtualization technologies could play a valuable role in green IT strategies, especially in large enterprises.
*The market for adjacent solutions will be the most innovative and, potentially, lucrative in the near future. In terms of specific issues that these add-ons address, the most likely areas of growth are VM management and monitoring, security and compliance, as well as backup and recovery.
Reasons to Purchase
*Learn about the major trends affecting the virtualization space over the course of 2009.
*Understand the challenges that virtualization vendors and their clients will face in 2009.
*Identify potential strategies that could allow stakeholders in the market to minimize risk and maximize rewards through 2009.
Report Outline
VIEW
CATALYST
SUMMARY
ANALYSIS
The growth of virtualization will accelerate, sustained by strong underlying business drivers
The business benefits of virtualization are numerous and far-reaching
Virtualization will form an important component of Green IT strategies
Decoupling software from hardware allows significant improvements in IT flexibility and scalability
Enterprises will develop more realistic expectations relating to the benefits of virtualization
Automation and management are key challenges for enterprises using virtualization
The lack of interoperability between competing solutions is a major concern among potential customers
Desktop virtualization has not yet matured, but will start gaining traction in 2009
Desktop virtualization resolves many issues around desktop management and security, but risks persist
As basic virtualization becomes commoditized, vendors will seek revenues in adjacent markets
Market forces and competitive pressures are pushing down the prices of hypervisors
Tackling the shortcomings of current virtualization solutions represents a significant opportunity
ACTIONS
Impact on virtualization customers
Recommendations for vendors selling virtualization
APPENDIX
Methodology
Further reading
Ask the analyst
consulting
Disclaimer
