Prevailing Adoption Trends by Vertical Market for Networked Storage Solutions: An IDC Survey, 2007

This study draws on the results of the latest IDC European Vertical Markets Survey, carried out between August and November 2007 among 2,077 companies operating in the five largest Western European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.).

The survey investigated IT spending directions, solution priorities, investment plans, and the adoption of a range of solutions and technologies across vertical markets, as well as the role of IT within the organization, IT budget dynamics, channel selection, and customer satisfaction with IT suppliers.

The focus of this study is on SAN and NAS awareness, adoption, and short-term investment plans by vertical market. Results are presented for total Western Europe for the following vertical markets: manufacturing; retail and wholesale; transport, communications, and utilities; financial services; business services; government; healthcare and education.

"The networked storage market is maturing, and over 70% of our survey respondents, across most vertical markets, expressed familiarity both with SAN and NAS technologies," said Serena Da Rold, program manager, IDC European Vertical Views. "SAN and NAS tend to be adopted within the same company to respond to different storage needs: over three-quarters of survey respondents adopting SAN are also adopting, or planning to implement, NAS in the short term, and the share of joint adopters is even higher in some key verticals, such as transport, communications, and utilities, or financial services."