ESG Research Report: The Impact of Server Virtualization on Storage

List of Figures

List of Tables

Executive Summary

Summary of Report Conclusions

Report Conclusions

Introduction

Research Objectives

Research Findings: The Impact of Server Virtualization on Storage

Users Deploy Server Virtualization to Contain Costs and Improve Efficiency

Server Virtualization Drives Overall Storage Demand

Storage Infrastructure Trends for Server Virtualization Environments

Demand for All Types of Networked Storage Will Continue to Grow

Networked Storage Growth Leads to New System Purchases

Storage Management Considerations for Virtual Server Environments

Server Virtualization Data Protection Strategies in Flux

Server Virtualization and Disaster Recovery

Combining Server and Storage Virtualization

Research Findings: Planned Server Virtualization Adopters

Planned Adopters Have Near-Term Server Virtualization Plans

Decision Drivers for Planned Server Virtualization Adopters

Planned Adopters Embrace Networked Storage Solutions

Many Planned Adopters Will Deploy Networked Storage for the First Time

Appendix: General Server Virtualization Implementation Details & User Experiences

Current Server Virtualization Usage by Vendor/Solution

Planned Server Virtualization Usage by Vendor/Solution

Virtual Machines by Operating System

Duration of Production Server Virtualization Deployments

Application Usage on Virtual Machines

Server Virtualization Benefits

Elimination of Physical x86 Servers

Research Methodology

Quantitative Research

Qualitative Research

Respondent Demographics

Respondents by Region

Respondents by Role

Respondents by Technology Responsibility

Respondents by Number of Employees

Respondents by Industry

Respondents by Annual Revenue

List of Figures

Figure 1. Current and Planned Use of x86 Server Virtualization Solutions

Figure 2. Reasons Early Adopters Deployed x86 Server Virtualization

Figure 3. Current and Expected Physical and Virtual Servers

Figure 4. Current and Expected Physical and Virtual Servers, by SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 5. Production and Test Use of Server Virtualization

Figure 6. Production and Test Use of Server Virtualization, by SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 7. Impact of Server Virtualization on Overall Volume of Storage Capacity

Figure 8. Median Storage Capacity Supporting Virtual Server Environments, by Number of Virtual Machines

Figure 9. Storage Resources Shared Across Virtualized and Non-Virtualized Environments

Figure 10. Use of Networked Storage to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 11. Storage Technologies Used to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 12. Use of Single Storage Technologies to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 13. Storage Technologies Used to Support Virtual Server Environments, by SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 14. Storage Technologies Used to Support Virtual Server Environments, by Number of Virtual Machines

Figure 15. Usage of New vs. Existing Networked Storage Resources to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 16. Adoption of Networked Storage Among Current DAS-Only Users

Figure 17. Networked vs. Non-Networked Storage Capacity Growth

Figure 18. Networked vs. Non-Networked Storage Capacity Growth, by SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 19. Reasons for Increasing Use of Networked Storage for Virtual Machines

Figure 20. New Networked Storage Purchase Plans, SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 21. Reasons Server Virtualization Will Drive New Networked Storage Purchases

Figure 22. Type(s) of New Networked Storage Systems Likely to be Purchased

Figure 23. Type(s) of New Networked Storage Systems Likely to be Purchased, by SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 24. Reasons Influencing Purchase of Different Types of Networked Storage Systems to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 25. End-User Challenges Related to Implementing Server Virtualization with Networked Storage

Figure 26. Storage Management Capabilities Early Adopters Would Like to Utilize in Conjunction with Virtual Server Environments

Figure 27. Preferred Location of Storage Management Capabilities

Figure 28. Backup Tools and Processes for Virtualized and Non-Virtualized Environments

Figure 29. Impact of Server Virtualization on Backup Processes

Figure 30. Virtual Machine Image Replication to Remote DR site

Figure 31. Virtual Machine Replication to DR Site, SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 32. Impact of Server Virtualization on Remote Replication Usage

Figure 33. Server Virtualization Impact on Disaster Recovery Performance and Cost

Figure 34. Use of Storage Virtualization in Conjunction with Server Virtualization

Figure 35. Use of Storage Virtualization, by Number of Virtual Machines

Figure 36. Storage Virtualization Complements Server Virtualization

Figure 37. Planned Server Virtualization Deployment

Figure 38. Reasons Planned Adopters Will Deploy Server Virtualization

Figure 39. Planned Use of Networked Storage to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 40. Planned Adopters’ Expected Storage Technology Used to Support Virtual Server Environments

Figure 41. Planned Adopters’ Expected Storage Technology Used to Support Virtual Server Environments, by SMB vs. Enterprise

Figure 42. Usage of New vs. Existing Networked Storage to Support Planned Virtual Server Environments

Figure 43. Planned Adopters’ Biggest Challenges Related to Implementing Server Virtualization with Networked Storage

Figure 44. Early Adopters’ Primary Server Virtualization Solution

Figure 45. Server Virtualization Vendors Being Considered by Planned Adopters

Figure 46. Operating System Profile of Virtual Machines

Figure 47. Length of Time Server Virtualization has been Deployed in Production

Figure 48. Tier 1 Application Usage on Virtual Machines

Figure 49. Applications Running on Virtual Machines

Figure 50. Benefits of Server Virtualization

Figure 51. x86 Server Elimination Due to Server Virtualization

Figure 52. Survey Respondents by Region

Figure 53. Survey Respondents by Role

Figure 54. Survey Respondents by Technology Responsibility

Figure 55. Survey Respondents by Number of Employees

Figure 56. Survey Respondents by Annual Revenue

List of Tables

Table 1. Environmental Virtualization Drivers, by Number of Physical Servers

Table 2. “First-Time” Use of Networked Storage Technologies Among Current and Planned Server Virtualization Adopters

Table 3. Survey Respondents by Industry