CDW Server Virtualization Life Cycle Report:
Medium and Large Businesses
The Server Virtualization Life Cycle Report provides a snapshot of the state of server virtualization in medium and large business organizations. The report highlights signs of approaching market maturity, based upon adoption rates and preparedness, and identifies current obstacles to broader use of virtualization.
To view this in-depth analysis of market adoption of server virtualization technology, please complete the information form at the link below.
Virtualization Timeline
Business Drivers of Server Virtualization
In what initiatives does your organization currently apply server virtualization?
Curbed Enthusiasm
Most common tracking metrics are:
Foundation for Growth
Business Forecast
- Virtualization is moving 'down market;' 59% of enterprise companies report they began deploying virtualization in or before 2007 vs. 34% of large and 42% of medium organizations
Business Drivers of Server Virtualization
- According to business IT managers, server virtualization is most commonly applied to server consolidation and infrastructure management initiatives
In what initiatives does your organization currently apply server virtualization?
Curbed Enthusiasm
- Most significant barriers to server virtualization
- Concerns about the security of virtualized environments (17%)
- Hardware that does not support virtualization technology (17%)
- Uncertainty of the return on investment (12%)
- Business applications that do not support virtualization (11%)
- Nearly all organizations are experiencing success with server virtualization; few organizations, however, base success solely on cost savings
Most common tracking metrics are:
Foundation for Growth
- The vast majority of organizations have issued virtualization policies to ensure the technology is made a priority
IT Staff
85% believe their IT department is appropriately staffed and trained to implement and manage a virtualized server environment
IT Leaders
99% would give their CIO or IT director a passing grade in virtualization technology; the majority (78%) give an A or B
Business Forecast
- Anticipate continued, steady expansion of virtualized environments as familiarity and comfort levels increase
- Desktop virtualization is right around the corner and the potential for this technology is huge
- Expansion of virtualization will be supported by hardware refreshes, with increasing penetration of faster, "greener" equipment
- Cloud computing is a natural extension of the virtualized environment and IT executives should study the opportunities and benefits of cloud computing now
CDW hired O’Keeffe & Company to conduct an online survey of 387 IT managers from business organizations with 100 employees or more in June 2009. The total sample size equates to a margin of error of ±4.98% at a 95% confidence level.
Organization Size:
Organization Size:
- 37% Medium (100-499 employees)
- 37% Large (500-4,999 employees)
- 26% Enterprise (5,000 employees or larger)
- 25% 1 to 4
- 26% 5 to 10
- 25% 11 to 20
- 18% 21 to 40
- 6% 41+
