Virtualization used to be the sort of technology that only large businesses used, and only for server consolidation. But according to a new IT Market Dynamics report, virtualization is making its way out of the enterprise server space, and into new areas.
The research firm has published its latest analysis, scrutinizing virtualization solutions. According to Virtualization in the Canadian Market – a First Look at 2010, small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are starting to use the technology, and organizations of all sizes are changing what they use virtualization for, applying it to the desktop as well as the server infrastructure.
Based on the results of nearly 3000 surveys conducted over the past nine months, the report indicates that the financial services industry and the public sector are leading the latest virtualization trends, while industries such as transportation, communications and utilities lag behind.
“Until now, you’d find that large organizations represented by far the majority of companies employing virtualization, but that’s no longer the case,” says Michael O’Neil, president, IT Market Dynamics. “Our survey indicates that a substantial proportion of smaller organizations are also reporting investment intentions.”
The analysis covers the virtualization market from six distinct angles, including a 2009 overview, a 2010 outlook, and interviews with end-user organizations illustrating the trends. Representatives from the Edmonton Public School Board, Bank of Montreal, and Muir and Associates explain why they use virtualization, how the technology has evolved in their environments, and what’s next as they step further into this novel IT architecture.
The report also features a conversation with Chris Loeffler, Program Manager, Distributed Power Solutions at Eaton Corp., a global power management company. Eaton’s wares and know-how increasingly go towards supporting data centre customers employing virtualization. Loeffler discusses how virtualization impacts an organization’s power, heating and cooling requirements.
