Audience survey results from SNW Spring ‘09
by Hu Yoshida on April 28, 2009
At SNW, Computerworld surveys the audience intermittently using an electronic Audience Response Survey device. In between keynote sessions a question was posted on the screen with a short list of multiple choice answers and the audience was asked to select their response by clicking a button on their ARS device. The answers were tabulated in real time and flashed back on the screen to show how the responses were distributed.
I happened to be at one of these online surveys and asked Computerworld for the results of these surveys. They were very helpful in providing me with the raw data. I thought you would be interested in seeing some of the results.
Question: What is your top challenge in storage management?
Total votes 70
1. Managing Complexity in storage management 23% 16
2. IT Budget constraints 50% 35
3. Reliable backup and recovery solutions 16% 11
4. Reliability and availability 11% 8
Question: How aggressive is your organization in deploying storage virtualization technologies?
Total votes 142
1. We aren’t very aggressive…it’s not a high priority 34% 48
2. Within the next 12 months, we will have deployed 25% 36
substantively.
3. We are all on our way. It is a done deal and part of 41% 58
Our IT strategy
Question: Which statement best describes how you address storage complexity
Total votes 85
1. Ability to deliver storage as a service 15% 13
2. Hiring more technical support and 2% 2
implementation staff
3. Implementing new and better SRM and SAN 34% 29 management tools
4. Implementing new virtualization technology 35% 30
5. Storage complexity is not an issue in our 13% 11
organization
No surprise, budget constraints are top of mind.
The majority of respondents, 66%, have either deployed storage virtualization or were planning to do so in the next 12 months.
In terms of addressing storage complexity, implementing virtualization technology and SRM/SAN management tools seem to be key.
While the sample in this survey was relatively small, these results are consistent with feed back from customers and prospects that I talked to during SNW and in my recent trips to Asia and Europe. More and more customers are looking to storage virtualization to meet their budget constraints. While marketing has been saying that about 50% of our USP and USP V customers are virtualizing external storage, my feeling is that it is much higher today.
I would like to hear from end users whether you feel as I do that we have turned the corner on the adoption of storage virtualization. Feel free to post your comment or fill out the contact form. I look forward to your thoughts.
