Citrix, Google, VMware and Yammer 'to lead market in 2020'

Ovum predicts quartet will rise to the top of the enterprise IT market over the next 10 years

VMware, Yammer, Citrix and Google have been tipped by analyst Ovum to be the enterprise IT leaders of 2020, according to its new report, which claims the foursome is currently driving IT transformation.

The analyst's Enterprise 2020 report, which was released today, claims that in the next seven years, the technology landscape will change more than it has done in the past 30 years, and said businesses must act now to adapt, or risk being left behind by their own employees and markets.

The report claimed that Google's position in cloud, mobility and social networking means it has a unique perspective on what the future holds for enterprise IT, describing its position as being at "the apex of customer web behaviour".

VMware's focus on end-user computing was praised in the report, which said the vendor is transforming organisations from being led by the IT department to ones focused on users, without sacrificing companies' IT security.

The report added that despite being a long-established player, Citrix is striking the right balance between IT governance and usability and the accessibility requirements of increasingly connected employees.

Yammer, which was recently acquired by Microsoft, was described as a "true enterprise IT disruptor" and has learned from sites such as Facebook in order to ensure long-term success, according to the report.

Richard Edwards, principal analyst at Ovum, said businesses' vendor choice today will be crucial for future success.

"To remain successful, there will have to be significant change in operations, systems and cultural levels. By 2020, knowledge workers will need and want a set of tools far different to those of today, so for the chief information officer, the important choice will be which vendor to follow," he added.

"The way in which we work will change dramatically over the next seven years, more than in the previous 30, meaning the enterprise of 2020 will need to be more agile and more responsive than it is today."