The independent technology analyst has stated in a new report* that data centre transformation is being held back by the immaturity of the technology involved, lack of vendor options and customers' unwillingness to commit to capital expenditure.
"Data centre transformation will not happen overnight, or be driven by technology developments alone", said Ovum senior analyst and report author Ian Brown.
"While the unified computing/unified fabric and automation technologies will come to market over the course of 2010/11, we do not expect data centre transformation to become mainstream for another couple of years."
The report states that the successful implementation of an automated and unified data centre infrastructure will depend on IT management having clearly identified processes and policies in place. In the meantime, developing and refining manual processes will be a prerequisite for automation and DCT.
Brown added: "Data centre transformation will underpin most companies' IT strategies for the foreseeable future.
"Indeed, we expect it to be one of four technology trends that will dominate the managed services landscape from a customer and supplier perspective over the next five years, along with sustainability, smart workplaces, and cloud services.
"DCT is an ongoing strategy and for most organisations will be tied in with cloud computing, sourcing strategies and IT sustainability solutions."
Ovum believes lucrative opportunities for IT service vendors lie in consulting engagements, implementation, migration to new network infrastructure fabrics, and the adaptation and application of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) disciplines to the future unified data centre infrastructure and its operational management.
SOURCE: OVUM
