CIOs focus on efficiency, virtualisation

Data centre efficiency improvements and the implementation of virtualisation technology are two of the main areas of investment for chief information officers (CIOs) over the coming 12 months, according to new research, says Zycko.

Industry analyst Robert Half Technology reveals that seven in ten CIOs expect to continue investing in a range of different technologies during the next year, dispelling concerns arising from the economic turbulence.

For 27% of CIOs, investment into data centre efficiency is an area for focus as they look to make short-term expenditure in order to drive long-term cost savings.

Efficiency drives in data centres using an increasingly complex mix of resources are sustaining business in the systems management segment according to BMC Software's top European executive, reports CBR Online. He claims businesses see standardisation, consolidation and virtualisation initiatives as the surest way to improve asset utilisation and drive down costs.

Luca Lazzaron, VP and GM EMEA says projects that aim to squeeze inefficiency out of data centre operations invariably lead to increased complexity in the context of server configurations and system interdependencies.

“The more dislocated and the more complex the environment is, the better,” the BMC executive says, as it plays to the way the company has developed and evolved its business service management proposition.

People in IT jobs in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region will witness a 55% growth in revenue from virtualisation software this year, Gartner has said, according to Women in Technology.

The industry analyst firm predicted that income from the technology will increase from R3.9 billion in 2008 to 5.97 billion in 2009.

Gartner added that primary growth in the market will be due to increases in revenue generated through server virtualisation, which will rise by 54.3% on a year-on-year basis.