Virtualisation to gain ground

Virtualisation was among the most talked about technologies in 2007; in 2008, this technology will come into play in a big way, according to projections by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Group. Every Fortune 100 company and 80 per cent of the Fortune 10,000 companies already deploy virtualisation in some parts of their businesses. Industry analysts are forecasting that 50 per cent of all servers will be virtual by 2010. “More enterprises are asking probing questions about the limits, as well as the potential, of virtualisation (defined as the ability to view and manage multiple, networked, heterogeneous storage devices as if they were a single pool of storage). This will lead to a more measured deployment of the technology,” says N. Venkatraman, Head (TMT Division), Deloitte India.

Talking about new trends in the Indian scenario, he says: “Costs are becoming an important issue with companies. With the likelihood of a US slowdown, there is certainly going to be a reduction in technology spends; there will be resistance to price increases. Indian IT companies will, therefore, have to start looking at innovative ways to meet their client needs.”

Secondly, he continues, a new type of outsourcing will take place. Nearshoring will become more prominent as Indian companies try to establish their global credentials.

Then, mainframes will stage a comeback. Just a decade ago, the consensus was that the mainframe was doomed to extinction. Yet, over the past few years, mainframes have gained ground. In 2008, this trend seems set to continue, says the Deloitte TMT Group’s report on technology.

— Anusha Subramanian