Virtualization Won't Simplify ISV Platform Choices

As x86 hardware commoditizes and VMware-style virtualization proliferates, many independent software vendor (ISV) strategists are hoping that they'll be able to reduce the à la carte variety of IT infrastructure they must support, such as OSes, CPUs, databases, and application platforms. Their hope will not be fulfilled. Rather than wait and pray for industry consolidation and homogenized technology, ISV strategists should refocus on supporting two or three key stacks of IT infrastructure. Picking a very limited number of full sets of IT infrastructure for your ISV to support will create a focus on the total integration and best customer experience, rather than on supporting individual technologies and thereby enabling combinatorial support complexity. But this isn't about picking, for example, IBM versus Microsoft. This is about identifying the best combination of infrastructure products, services integration partners, and total customer experience. The result will be lower costs, faster time to market, a better product, and happier customers.