Vendors should adopt holistic IT approach

In its latest Decision Matrix: Selecting an Infrastructure Management Solution, the research analyst firm reveals that disruptive technologies just as virtualization, automation, and cloud computing have raised the profile of this sector as the need for management and control begins to cross over from a purely technical realm to a more business-focused activity.

"The IM market is splitting into two distinct segments catering for two different groups of organizations - 'just enough' management by small and medium-sized organizations, and service assurance by large enterprises," says Illsley. "However the needs are better amplified by the significance of IT to the organization. Where IT is a competitive differentiator, service assurance is of greater value, yet if IT is seen as a cost of doing business, 'just enough' is better aligned."

"All vendors in the ODM share a vision that infrastructure management will become the critical research for organizations to operate effectively and enable business agility, nevertheless the approaches to how this will be achieved differ. This is a sign of a healthy market in which the customer will decide which are mainstream and which are niche," concludes Illsley.