Forrester Research

Forrester Analyst: Storage Virtualization Is Overhyped

May 8, 2008 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

An interesting article at ITPro cites Forrester Research analyst Andrew Reichman claiming storage virtualization to be still a marginalized business despite being a hot topic for a few years now. Reichman told attendees of Compellent’s C-Drive customer conference in Minneapolis that just 17 percent of companies have virtualized their storage systems in some way, with another nine percent in the process of rolling out the technology, while 28 percent are interested in the idea.

“Virtualisation of storage is tepid,” Reichman said. “I would characterise it as tepid.”

Reichman said that virtualization is still seen as a little bit leading edge for some companies, and that they’re waiting for others to adopt the technology first.

“Any change is tough – storage is probably the most conservative part of data centres. People don’t want to take the chance on disrupting their data,” he said, adding companies are “kicking the tires but not really buying it.”

Read the rest of the article here.

Windows Server 2008 Right On Schedule, But Hypervisor Product Hyper-V Delayed

February 27, 2008 by Robin Wauters 5 Comments

Today, Microsoft will launch its new server software update at the Heroes Happen Here event. But while Windows Server 2008 will contain the beta bits for Hyper-V, the final product will be made available as an add-on “later in 2008”.

eWeek claims the delay will almost certainly cause enterprises to hold off on Windows Server 2008, backed by statements from analysts.

“We do not expect to see enterprise deployments of Windows Server 2008 of any significance until the final version of Hyper-V is out,” James Staten, principal analyst at Forrester Research.

The long development cycle for this new server product, which was five years in the making, has also allowed Linux to encroach on Microsoft’s base, Staten said, adding that this is unlikely to significantly erode the opportunities for Windows Server 2008.

eWeek goes on to say its release however marks a milestone for Microsoft, as the software includes lots of key technologies and services, many of which have been available to clients in early candidate form for several months.

Server Virtualization Goes Mainstream

April 11, 2006 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Latest Forrester study on virtualization.

According to a recent Forrester study, server virtualization has quickly surpassed other forms of infrastructure virtualization, including techniques for virtualizing storage and networks.

Globally, 75% of 1,221 enterprises surveyed by Forrester say they are aware of server virtualization technologies, 26% have implemented it, and 8% more will pilot it by the summer of 2006.

The rapid adoption of server virtualization can be attributed to its near- and long-term advantages, which allow firms to reduce costs while making their infrastructures more flexible over time. Unlike compute grid technologies, which require architectural changes, server virtualization allows firms to easily encapsulate existing applications into containers that can be moved between physical servers. Forrester believes that this basic capability will prime firms’ data centers for more advanced Organic IT technologies, including automated configuration and distributed workload management.

This Forrester report provides some interesting figures:

* Worldwide Enterprise Awareness Of Server Virtualization Hits 75%
* North American Firms Lead In Adoption Of Server Virtualization
* More Than Half Of The Largest NA Firms Use Or Will Pilot Server Virtualization
* Europe Lags In Awareness But Is Second Overall In Adoption
* In Asia Pacific, Awareness Of Server Virtualization Ranks Second Overall
* VMware Dominates In North America But Microsoft Leads In Europe
* Microsoft Gets More Consideration From Large Enterprises Than Other Enterprises

You can read the full executive summary or order this study at the Forrester source.