Rob Schafer

Through 2006, the lack of robust storage management automation, standards, and process maturity will limit net annual enterprise storage capacity growth to 45 per cent (58 per cent-67 per cent gross procurement), with price/capacity improving 35 per cent per year. To effectively leverage and manage enterprise media assets, users will require a data/media center of excellence. Through 2007, software value-added functionality, manageability, integration, and interoperability will be the primary enterprise storage differentiators, rendering storage hardware a tiered commodity.

META Trend: Through 2006, storage management automation and process immaturity will limit net annual enterprise storage capacity growth to 40 per cent (54 per cent to 63 per cent gross procurement), with price/capacity improving 35 per cent per year.

As low-end mainframe users are the least efficient, they stand to benefit most from outsourcing the mainframe, says the author of a new report from the META Group. "Negative growth" outsourcing contracts should have a clear fixed term when the contract and the mainframe expire, the author points out.