The server industry stands on the threshold of a major architectural shift. Blade server companies, strongly funded by Wall Street, are taking advantage of the inadequacies of current server designs with a new approach that poses a real threat to the industry giants. The more farsighted of the major IT vendors are making blade servers a centerpiece of their strategy for 2002.
Why? A blade server is a thin board containing one or more microprocessors and memory. It is intended for a single, dedicated application, such as serving Web pages. It offers a number of clear advantages - up to four times the processing power of a typical 1U rack server in a smaller enclosure, cheaper and easier deployment, additional flexibility and a lower total cost of ownership. However, these savings could prove to be just the tip of the iceberg. Increasingly sophisticated management software that works in tandem with blade servers could prove to be the catalyst that advocates of the 'IT as a service' model have been crying out for.
The451 is pleased to announce the publication of an extensive new report on the blade server market. The report provides a comprehensive view of the market and its future direction, including strategic assessments of competitors: the major players, new market entrants, a group of 10 companies to watch, and the next wave of startups.
What does the report cover?
Blade servers represent a potentially massive market, but its future remains far from clear. This report articulates what different companies need to do to be winners in this space by detailing the threats and opportunities and assessing the impact of standards, the development of the server market and the needs of users. The report includes extensive primary research, including interviews with senior management at over 40 hardware and software companies and extensive research of the InfiniBand supporters. The report covers:
- Implications of the demand for blade servers across not just IT companies but investors and end users
- Strategic assessments of the competitors, including the451's own ratings – who will win among the start-ups and established industry players?
- Detailed analysis of the key technical and market issues, including competing technologies, legacy systems, standards and user requirements
- A look ahead over the next three years, including the impact of networking and server development
For more details about the report please fill out the form below, or contact our sales staff:
In the US, [email protected], 212 505 3030
For the rest of the world, [email protected], + 44 (0) 207 927 9106
Report contents
Section 1 Definitions and Conclusions
· Executive Summary
· Definition
· Methodology
· Implications for hardware vendors
· Implications for software vendors
· Implications for service providers
· Implications for investors
· Implications for corporate users
· Company rankings
Section 2 Evolution of Blade Servers
· Loosely coupled multiprocessors
· Embedded systems
· Clustering and high-speed links
· Distributed system software
· The rise of rack-mounted servers and single-function appliances
· Beowulf and the new approach to supercomputers
· New generation I/O and interconnects
· Dense computing, low power, less space
· The emergence of blade servers
Section 3 The Major Players
· Including IBM, HP, Dell, Compaq, Sun, NEC, SGI and Intel
Section 4 10 players to watch
· Including OmniCluster Technologies, RealScale, RLX, Lane15 and Ejasent
Section 5 The next wave of startups and new entrants
· Silicon companies
· System companies
· Interconnect companies
· Software companies
Section 6 The next three years
· The standards question
· Blades and bricks
· Specialist blades: what will emerge?
· Network evolution -- the effect of 10Gbit Ethernet
· InfiniBand and high-speed switching
· Virtualization and server consolidation
· Dynamic provisioning and adaptive occupancy.
· Blades: the next three years
· The winners and the losers
The451 provides same-day analysis of significant news, identifies the emerging trends and puts these developments into context within the industry. Members include investment analysts, strategic planning executives, business and product development teams, CIOs, CTOs, communications and PR experts, marketing specialists, competitive intelligence professionals and myriad other titles and departments. The common thread in membership is the value the451 brings to their work.
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