Server Virtualisation Technology Lag Is Diminishing: Gartner

Transformational technologies such as virtualisation, cloud computing and data deduplication will enable new ways of doing business across industries, according to the Hype Cycle for information and communication technology (ICT) by Gartner, Inc. The Hype Cycle report identifies 43 key technologies and describes the ways in which they will impact business performance during the next 10 years.

“Among the 43 technologies listed (see Figure 1), 24 will mature within the next five years, and 20 of them will have a transformational or high impact on businesses,” said Sanish KB, research analyst at Gartner. “Some technologies, such as cloud computing, data deduplication and virtualisation, enable new ways of doing business across industries, which will result in a major shift in industry dynamics and will also lead to the creation of a new and improved — and sustainable — ecosystem. Some technologies will become mainstream in less than two years. For example, new investments in immersive group systems are increasingly being replaced by investments in personal and executive systems. This is decreasing the overall scale of the addressable market for immersive systems and speeding up the rate at which these types of solution move off the Hype Cycle.”

Gartner analysts said Indian enterprises are generally more price-sensitive compared with enterprises in mature markets but have recently shown a tendency to invest in technology that offers a significant upside in terms of agility or productivity gains. The dynamic shift in business conditions means that some of this spend is unbudgeted but is considered vital to drive business benefits.

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The technology lag is slowly diminishing (for example, in server virtualisation), and many organisations in India are open to exploring new technologies to attain that extra bit of business differentiation in the growth phase. The market is also witnessing the entry of local vendors in emerging, as well as mature, technology segments, covering areas such as cloud computing, application development, business intelligence, business process management suites, datacentres, and green and sustainability technology tools, and offering the same through software as a service (SaaS) and the cloud.

Technologies such as IP telephony equipment, WAN optimisation controllers and virtualisation have advanced toward the Plateau of Productivity. However, among these technologies, IP telephony equipment and WAN optimisation controllers will be slow in their path to the Plateau of Productivity.

These technologies are categorised as emerging, mature and in-between based on several factors; all are important because they represent significant market and investment opportunities. Technologies near the peak are not necessarily more important or mature than other technologies; they are simply enjoying a greater degree of hype than other technologies. Their positions on the Hype Cycle are averages — in recognition that variations exist. Some technologies should be viewed as underlying enabling technologies that facilitate a wide range of end applications. The adoption rate of technologies varies across these applications.

Business intelligence (BI) platforms, COBIT, and entity resolution and analysis are expected to take more than 10 years to reach the plateau. Even though BI platforms are positioned on the Slope of Enlightenment, they are expected to take more than 10 years to reach the plateau, because the market and adoption haven’t grown.

SaaS-related professional services will likely go through the Hype Cycle much faster than most other technologies. SaaS is moving quickly on both sides (buyers and sellers). On the buyers’ side, interest in the benefits of SaaS is so great that many organisations have made at least a small purchase. On the sellers’ side, a majority of software vendors are either offering or investing in offering some version of SaaS.

The 2012 Hype Cycle for ICT in India forms part of Gartner’s 2012 Hype Cycle Special Report, providing strategists and planners with an assessment of the maturity, business benefit and future direction of over 1,900 technologies. The Hype Cycle graphic has been used by Gartner since 1995 to highlight the common pattern of over-enthusiasm, disillusionment and eventual realism that accompanies each new technology and innovation and is updated annually.