IDC: Server virtualisation on the up

Market watcher claims improvements in shipments and revenues show sector is in recovery

IDC figures indicate that virtualised server shipments are up on last year

The virtualised server market is showing signs of recovery, according to IDC.

The findings of the market watcher’s latest EMEA quarterly server virtualisation tracker show that 17.7 per cent of all servers shipped during the fourth quarter of 2009 were virtualised, 1.39 per cent up on the same quarter last year.

The figures also revealed that virtualisation software revenues grew by 3.9 per cent, year-over-year, in Q409 to $158m (£104m).

Nathaniel Martinez, program director for EMEA Systems and Infrastructure Solutions at IDC, said the cost savings provided by server virtualisation will help to boost its uptake in the future.

“Server virtualisation will play a pivotal role in transforming large and medium organizations' hardware infrastructure, so that it operates at a level of efficiency that is more in line with the demands of current economic environments in EMEA," he said.

In terms of vendor market standings, HP maintained its hold on the top spot during Q409 with its 50 per cent market share figure bolstered by a 12 per cent year-over-year increase in shipments.

Additionally, Dell and IBM both held their respective positions as the second and third placed virtualised server vendor, with shipments up by 33.3 per cent and 51 per cent for both vendors compared with the previous quarter.