8
2009 Enterprise Storage Budget Outlook
With all organizations in unchartered economic territory, 2009 will clearly be a
YSIS
challenging year for IT budgets. Nevertheless, the majority of organizations
surveyed by ESG give initial expectations that their storage spending will
ANAL
increase slightly in 2009. By Bill Lundell, Research Analyst; and John
McKnight, Research Director, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG).
Y
ESG recently surveyed 504 the remainder representing IT Using its survey data as a
North American and Western disciplines such as storage guide, ESG estimates that
European IT professionals at administration and data center enterprise storage capital
INDUSTR
enterprise-class organizations operations. 2008 spending spending will increase at a
(i.e., 1,000 or more employ- levels range from less than mean rate of 2.9% from 2008
ees) on a wide range of stor- $1m to $100m or more and to 2009—a modest increase,
age-related topics.1 As part of were largely a function of total but one that outpaces most
this research, ESG asked installed capacity. current forecasts of 1% to 2%
respondents a series of ques- growth for overall IT spending.
tions related to current and What do respondents see in Given the current global finan-
expected storage spending store for 2009? The majority cial turmoil, IT budgets will no
levels. This research was (86%) of enterprise organiza- doubt be a moving target in
completed in November 2008 tions surveyed have given ESG 2009 as organizations react to
and was conducted with a an initial expectation that their increasingly glum macroeco-
subset of ESG’s overall 2009 budget for storage-relat- nomic news and the changing
respondent base, specifically, ed capital expenditures will market dynamics that result.
430 respondents personally not decline relative to 2008, Nevertheless, ESG believes
responsible for or familiar with with 61% actually expecting an this data at the very least indi-
their organization’s current increase in year-over-year stor- cates a sentiment that storage
and future storage budgets. age spending (see Figure 1). in 2009 may be more resistant
The majority (62%) of these Respondents’ expectations to downward budget pres-
respondents represented sen- were largely consistent across sures than other areas of IT.
ior IT management or IT archi- North American and Western With data volumes continuing
tecture/planning roles, with European organizations. to increase at double-digit
Figure 1. Expected change in 2009 storage-related capital spending compared to 2008
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