Storage management software makes a comeback
Storage management software makes a comeback
The demand for software to manage storage data has risen significantly over the last year, showing yet again more encouraging signs that the technology industry is picking up again.
Gartner has reported that sales of software for data backup and recovery grew by 7.9 percent in 2003 to U.S.$5 billion, compared to its decline of 5.8 percent to U.S.$4.6 billion in 2003.
EMC leads the sales with a share of 28.3 percent of the market, following the acquisition of companies like Legato Systems, which specialise in data backup and recovery.
Veritas are second, with 18.7 percent of the market share, whilst IBM is third with 13 percent of the market. Hewlett Packard has 5.6 percent whilst Computer Associates has 5.3 percent.
In addition, the supply chain software market is making a rebound too. This market is expected to grow at a rate of 7.4 percent over the next five years, from U.S.$5.1 billion in 2003 to U.S.$7.4 billion in 2008.
This includes supply chain software from warehouse management to manufacturing execution. The results are further signs that business are in investing technology once again.
These reports also follow a recent optimistic prediction by the IDC last month that information technology will rise by 5 percent worldwide this year.
In addition, the IDC reported that the storage software market is enjoying the positive effects of data centres, which companies are investing heavily in to secure, manage and protect their digital assets.
Spending on software is still lower than spending on hardware, but laws such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act have also sparked resurgence in the need for storage software.
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