» VIEW ALL POSTS Jan 5 2011   4:39PM GMT

Server virtualization tops 2011 IT priorities

Posted by: Colin Steele
cloud computing, Colin Steele, server virtualization

IT managers still have server virtualization on the brain as they head into 2011.

Server virtualization is the top priority for IT managers in 2011, according to TechTarget’s 2011 IT Priorities Survey. Of the survey’s 2,300 global respondents, 56% said server virtualization will be keeping them busy this year. That’s up from 46% in last year’s survey (where server virtualization also topped the list).

We spent a lot of time in 2010 writing about the reality of server virtualization, compared to the hype around cloud computing. These IT Priorities Survey results add more fuel to the fire.

Back in March, I quoted the noted IT analyst firm Cypress Hill in saying that “virtualization ain’t goin’ out like that,” despite all the cloud hype. In September, some Gartner stats showed that most organizations still have a long way to go on the virtualization road. And the following month, columnist Mark Vaughn warned against putting the cloud cart before the virtualization horse.

Core server virtualization technologies will still be in demand this year, as some organizations just begin to virtualize and many others enter the advanced stages of their deployments.

Will some organizations be finalizing their server virtualization roll-outs in preparation for private cloud? Of course. One-third of IT managers surveyed said they’ll do some sort of cloud project this year (which wasn’t high enough to crack the top 10 priorities list).

Cloud computing is definitely the future, but as this survey shows, server virtualization is still the here and now.