Worldwide and U.S. Server Channel 2008-2012 Forecast

This IDC study analyzes current channel trends and discusses channel activity through 2012. The data provides server distribution information useful for planning and forecasting market growth and penetration. This study identifies the areas of greatest channel growth, informing readers, through IDC's distribution channel forecasts, of areas for increased channel development in the worldwide server market for 2008?2012.

"As the IT market continues to shift and mature or emerge, depending on the segment, suppliers need to pay very close attention to the changes within their partner base but must do so with some level of granularity. The server market is largely a mature market but has segments that are also emerging, such as blades and the adoption of virtualization, all of which can and will cause some shifts in the landscape. Not all partners are the same; in fact, they have very different models and therefore their requirements to stay competitive will vary, in some cases significantly. This is a crucial time for server suppliers interested in continuing to engage the indirect partner community to make every effort possible to stay as close to this group as possible." ? Janet Waxman, IDC research vice president, Hardware Channels and Alliances