London, ON, August 13th, 2012 - The past five years have seen a 400% increase in blade server adoption. As a result, this lucrative market has grown increasingly competitive. Limited differentiation between products means that vendor selection is less about the blade themselves, and more about how they will fit within a vendor’s consolidated infrastructure play. This is according to a report, recently released by Info-Tech Research Group, which names Cisco, Dell, HP, and IBM as Champions in the Blade Server market. Organizations consider the overall infrastructure before making a purchasing decision.
“Beyond some engineering advances, such as memory extension, most of the differentiation in blades comes not from the blades themselves, but from the systems they plug into. What organizations really need to know is how the blade will fit into these consolidated offerings that include servers, network, storage, virtualization and management,” says John Sloan, Lead Analyst for Info-Tech Research Group.
Long time blade server leader HP continues to hold its position as a Champion. As the most well-balanced platform offered in the market today, HP combines a strong mix of architectural success and innovation.
IBM, listed as a Champion, is still a top choice for organizations that place a high value on the technical aspects of their blades’ infrastructure, and on vendor strength. One of the pioneers of blade systems, IBM earned their Champion position with quality engineered blades.
Cisco, the newest entrant into the blade market, has gone the furthest in productizing the consolidated system. Since their entry into the market in 2009, Cisco has quickly risen to a Champion in the blade market by offering a truly integrated system.
Dell’s robust and user-friendly solution offers many advanced features at a compelling price point which earns them a position in the Champion quadrant. Dell was also awarded the Value award for offering the most comprehensive product at the most competitive price point.
For the full list of Info-Tech Research Group’s recommendations for selecting a Blade System Vendor, visit: http://www.infotech.com/research/ss/vendor-landscape-blade-systems
Info-Tech Research Group Vendor Landscape reports recognize outstanding vendors in the technology marketplace. Assessing vendors by the strength of their offering and their strategy for the enterprise, Info-Tech Research Group Vendor Landscapes pay tribute to the contribution of exceptional vendors in a particular category.
About Info-Tech Research Group
With a paid membership of over 25,000 members worldwide, Info-Tech Research Group(www.infotech.com) is the global leader in providing tactical, practical Information Technology research and analysis. Info-Tech Research Group has a fourteen-year history of delivering quality research and is North America's fastest growing full-service IT analyst firm.