Abstract
This IDC study provides IDC' s top 10 predictions for the software appliance marketplace in 2008. This document offers the views of IDC' s system software analysts for what major transitions will start, continue, or complete during 2008. "Software appliances represent an emerging market with many moving and disruptive pieces," said Brett Waldman, research analyst, System Software. "It is imperative to plan for tomorrow' s adoption today or risk being left behind as this transition unfolds."
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Predictions
- In This Study
- Situation Overview
- Future Outlook
- 1. The Puzzle Pieces Required for Software Appliances Are Mostly There, and the Required Infrastructure, Sans Management, Will Fall in Place to Support Software Appliances
- 2. Start-Ups Will Fill the Management Gap, But the Real Question Is When Will the Major Management Vendors Take Notice?
- 3. Virtual Server Deployments Are Exploding; Compounding That with a Move from Hardware Appliances to Software Form Factors Will Make the Market Ripe for Success
- Figure: Reason for Use of Virtualization Software
- 4. Early Software Appliance Adoption Will Follow a Similar Trend to Hardware Appliances - Led by Security, Storage, and IT Infrastructure, and Followed Later by More Complex, Heavier Workloads
- Figure: Current and Future Workload Deployment Areas for Software Appliances
- 5. Software Appliances Will Move Beyond an Application Delivery Form Factor and Become a New Medium for Competitive Differentiation, Accomplishing Previously Difficult Tasks Such as Aggregation of Unused Processor and Storage Resources
- 6. Software Appliances Will Begin to Move Down a Path to Become a Viable Tool to Enable On-Premise Software Vendors to Deliver Services That Can Compete More Effectively with SaaS Solutions
- 7. Linux Will Be the Runaway Software Appliance Operating System of Choice for 2008 and Beyond Because of Its Flexible Subscription Model, and Even More So Because of Its Availability as a Subscription- and Cost-Free Solution
- 8. Novell Must Respond to the Recent Announcement of the Red Hat Appliance Operating System and Its Associated Development Kit, or Possibly Be Left Behind
- 9. Despite Windows Having the Broadest Application Portfolio Today, Which Makes This Operating System a Prime Candidate to Be Incorporated into Software Appliances, Its Licensing and Packaging Restrictions Make It a Nonstarter for Now
- 10. Some Low-End Software Appliances Delivered in 2008 Won' t Be the Best Quality But Will Be More than Adequate for the Tasks They Target; at the Other End of the Market, Watch for Entrants from One or More Large Vendors with Sophisticated Solutions
- Figure: Software Appliance Ease of Use
- Figure: Future Deployment Plans for Software Appliances
- Essential Guidance
- Learn More
- Related Research
- Definitions
- Software Appliances
- Virtual Appliances
- Synopsis
