This IDC study examines the size of the overall system operations software market in 2003 and each of the three constituent markets: job scheduling software, output management software, and change and configuration management software. Market shares are provided for leading vendors in 2003, with trends from 2002 to 2003. Overall market sizes in 2003 are presented for four geographic regions and nine major operating environments.

The vendor shares and competitive analysis contained herein update those published in Worldwide System Management Software Forecast and Analysis Summary, 2003?2007 (IDC #29958, August 2003). A forecast update for these markets may be found in Worldwide System Operations Software 2004?2008 Forecast Update: July 2004 (IDC #31605, July 2004).

According to Tim Grieser, IDC vice president for Enterprise Systems Management Software research, "2003 showed strong growth in the system operations software market. Value propositions such as cost savings, efficient use of resources, and datacenter automation continue to be motivating factors for IT investments, and economic recovery also stimulated IT spending in this market."