Virtualisation and standardisation are likely to be key considerations for Irish businesses this year as high energy prices and moves to simplify IT take hold.
That’s according to computer maker Dell, which has identified several technology trends for 2007.
The company said it expects more organisations to focus on their server usage and virtualisation – the process of running multiple server images on one physical computer – which is seen as a possible solution to this problem. New multicore systems offer faster server performance for these kinds of tasks, Dell said.
Traditionally, business IT worked on a one application per server basis but this is arguably a more costly way of running operations. “With the huge rise in energy and accommodation costs seen in Ireland recently, this proliferation is untenable for many organisations,” commented PJ Dwyer, general manager at Dell Ireland.
The company said it also expects to see consolidation, with businesses moving away from IT infrastructures that are based on products from a range of different manufacturers towards a more standardised model. “We expect IT departments in 2007 to increase their focus on standardising and simplifying technology as they strive to deliver robust solutions for their business,” said Dwyer.
Recent data from iReach put the expected total IT hardware spending in Ireland at more than €1.4bn this year. “Return on investment coupled with driving productivity will be the main concerns for those purchasing large-scale deployments in 2007,” Dwyer added.
Other likely trends for the next 12 months include greater use of mobile technology such as wirelessly enabled computers and a strong focus on compliance, Dell said.
By Gordon Smith
