Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

STORAGE VENDORS FALL SHORT ON ROI TO END USERS

The studies feature a unique methodology that enables TIP to highlight inconsistencies in how vendors are regarded by the investor and user communities and gather detailed, direct quotations from users and investors to explain their vendor ratings. Ratings and quotations were obtained from users for over 40 vendors, including EMC, IBM, HP, Hitachi, Dell, Sun, Computer Associates, Cisco, Brocade, Veritas, Legato, McData, StorageTek, BMC, Emulex, Qlogic and Network Appliance.

The TIP studies also focused on user and investor spending plans. The results demonstrate that users are shifting from Direct Attached Storage to Storage Area Networks. But, contrary to what analyst firms have predicted, less than 5% of users are planning to increase their spending on Network Attached Storage. From an investor perspective 50% plan to increase their investments in storage companies over the next six months.

Other findings from the study include:

• EMC, Veritas and Brocade top the preferred vendor ratings, appearing on 60-85% of users' vendor "short list".
• Over 70% of Investors expect significant growth in M&A activity in the storage market in the next 12 months as the sector consolidates.
• For heavily hyped storage technologies such as iSCSI, Infiniband and Virtualization, planned adoption is 12-24 months further out than others have projected.
• Over 25% of the interviewees are considering replacing their primary storage vendor in the next 12 months.
• Average "street pricing" discounts for SAN & NAS range from 20-39%.
• Several key functionality gaps are driving the significant planned expenditures on storage management products as users begin to replace "homegrown" tools.

To learn more about the studies contact info@theinfopro.net or call 212-726-7117.

TheInfoPro (TIP) is an independent research network focused on the Information Technology and Life Sciences industries. Created by veterans of Gartner, Jupiter, IBM and Bell Labs, TIP produces fundamental, analyst - free research on markets, vendors, vendor strategies, vendor products, issues, user trends and investor confidence.

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