IDC’s Top Storage Predictions for 2008: Significant Shifts Ahead Including Intensification of Storage Efficiency, Virtualization Strategies, and Green Initiatives

FRAMINGHAM, MA .- Demand for storage capacity continues to grow at a rate of nearly 60% per year and IDC believes that during 2008 the industry will see significant shifts in the way data is stored, managed, and protected. The overarching theme of storage efficiency will intensify throughout 2008 and increase the industry’s focus on virtualization strategies and green initiatives as well as information consolidation techniques like deduplication.


“In the past several years, storage trends have tended to be tactical and focused on developments in specific technologies,” said Benjamin S. Woo, vice president, Enterprise Storage Systems at IDC. “2008 is likely to represent an inflection point in the way applications and storage will be interfaced.”

Among IDC’s key predictions for 2008 are the following:
* Online storage services (storage-as-a-service) such as online backup, archiving, and replication will be accepted as a viable option.
* New role-based storage systems will enable vendors to target specific storage and data management issues, but will require tighter integration between the content-generating application and storage layer.
* Solid state disks will become more viable for mainstream storage solutions as a result of declining price points.
* Virtual servers (e.g., VMware) will emerge as the killer application for iSCSI.
* Vendors will create more attractive “all in one” solutions using an integrated server and storage approach to address the lucrative SMB market.

IDC’s study, Worldwide Storage 2008 Top 10 Predictions: New Paradigms (Doc #209796), discusses the technologies and market forces that will shape the storage industry in 2008.

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About IDC
IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 900 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 90 countries worldwide. For more than 43 years, IDC has provided strategic insights to help our clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com .

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For more information, please contact:
Benjamin Woo
bwoo@idc.com
212-724-1188

David Reinsel
dreinsel@idc.com
320-587-1000