Despite Challengers, VMware Will Continue To Lead Server Virtualization

Hardware vendors and systems integrators (SIs) are winning a lot of deals riding VMware's coattails as the leader for x86 server virtualization. But now, Microsoft, XenSource, and others are building viable alternatives. Obviously, marketers should support Microsoft's virtualization technologies — but will market leadership shift and when? Should vendor marketers switch their primary channel and product plans to align with the newcomers or stay focused on VMware as leader? Forrester believes that a critical mass of enterprises will switch from x86 virtualization projects to virtualized infrastructure strategies over the next two years, driven by VMware's technologies. Server, software, and services marketers must boost plans to work with VMware or risk being shunted aside by competitors doing a better job of riding the server virtualization wave.