VMWare, Cisco and Microsoft top of list as enterprises spend up on SDI

Enterprises are upping their spend on software defined infrastructure, with VMware, Cisco and Microsoft topping the list of go-to vendors.

That's the word from 451 Research, which says 67% of enterprises in their Voice of the Enterprise survey say they will be increasing spend on software defined infrastructure this year, resulting in a 14.4% increase in overall spend.

The report shows 37.4% of enterprises are increasing spending on software defined networking, with 26.9% increasing spend on software defined storage.

VMware was the lead vendor for SDI, at 66.3%, followed by Cisco (39.2%) and Microsoft (28.1%).

The research house defines SDI as the virtualisation of all hardware resources, combined with elastic scaling and management automation.

"As such, it is realised via the implementation of multiple technologies and products," 451 Research says.

Simon Robinson, 451 Research vice president of research, says as every business becomes a digital business, decision-makers are looking to improve both the efficiency and effectiveness of their overall IT environment, with the 65% of survey respondents citing improved agility and flexibility as the top benefit for SDI.

"This is encouraging decision-makers to explore new IT delivery models," Robinson says.

However, just 21% of respondents have implemented SDI already and 451 Research says key hurdles for senior management include low maturity, while non-senior management view lack of internal stills as the top barrier to SDI implementation.

"To achieve successful implementation, decision-makers should first conduct an audit of their internal skills and look to fill any gaps," says Nikolay Yamakawa, 451 Research senior analyst.

"Meanwhile, vendors should aim to play a more proactive role in communicating requirements and presenting case studies to help overcome these barriers.