Bracknell, UK – 24th January 2011 – Dell KACE today revealed its top five technology predictions for 2011 expected to have the most impact on the industry and systems management. Fueled by the need to lower IT operational costs by streamlining management tasks, increased adoption of virtualisation technologies tops the Dell KACE list for 2011 trends. The systems management appliance company also predicts topical community forums, or crowdsourcing, will grow in popularity and importance as the migration to Windows 7 and Office 2010 continues to heat up in the new year. Dell KACE also predicts additional layers of security and protection from malware will be needed to keep companies safe, along with network restrictions.

“The use of virtualisation technologies in the industry continues to rapidly evolve,” said Marty Kacin, VP of Engineering, CTO, and co-founder of Dell KACE. “We see mainstream virtualisation growth going beyond the data centre in 2011 and to desktops, laptops, handhelds and even tablets.”

Dell KACE’s top five 2011 predictions for systems management include:

1) Virtualisation Everywhere
Virtualisation in the form of virtual machines, virtual workspaces and virtual applications will spread rapidly from servers to desktop, laptops and even handheld devices and tablets in 2011. Factors driving adoption will be the desire to support a broader arrangement of devices in the organisation, while keeping management costs contained and maintaining IT environment security.

2) Tablets in the Enterprise
Tablet computers will see very strong adoption in 2011, particularly in vertical sectors such as education, retail and hospitality. Tablets open up entirely new uses for devices at a much lower cost than traditional PCs. The combination of new services and lower costs will be irresistible to many IT organisations.

3) Consumerisation of IT
Separation of personal and enterprise data will continue to be blurred in 2011 as users introduce more personal devices and software in the workplace. In addition, many social media services previously regarded as purely personal, such as Facebook and YouTube, will continue to become important marketing tools for the business world. This will force companies to rethink IT policies and controls.

4) Communities and “Crowdsourcing” will Emerge as Key Productivity Enablers for IT
Due to the increased complexity of IT and the breadth of knowledge required for full effectiveness, IT administrators will accelerate their use of communities in 2011. Key areas for community sourcing will be application and operating system deployment around Windows 7 and Office 2010, security, configuration management and also troubleshooting.

5) “Zero Day” Attacks Spur New Interest in PC Lockdown and Network Security
Due to increased occurrences of zero day attacks, implementation of additional layers of protection around content filtering and network restrictions will gain momentum. New approaches to PC lockdown will be necessary to ensure that zero day attacks fail, yet allowing users to still have the flexibility they need to be productive.

These predictions are based on what Dell KACE sees firsthand, from conversations with its thousands of worldwide customers and from interacting with forward-looking IT organisations. The Dell KACE family of systems management and deployment appliances fulfills all of the systems management needs of a mid-market IT organisation, from initial computer deployment to ongoing management and retirement. Dell KACE products are available as both physical and virtual appliances, directly from Dell or through its partners.

About Dell
Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) creates, enhances and integrates technology and services customers count on to provide them reliable, long-term value. Dell provides system-management solutions for customers of all sizes and system complexity. The Dell KACE family of appliances delivers easy-to-use, comprehensive, and affordable systems management capabilities. For more information, visit http://www.dell.com/KACE or follow the conversation at http://twitter.com/DellKACE.

Helpful Links

• Dell KACE Deployment Appliance
• Dell KACE Management Appliance
• Dell KACE Trial Appliances

Editorial contacts:
Mark Kember / Claire Chapman
Goode International
Phone: 01491 873 323
Email: mark.kember@goode.co.uk / claire.chapman@goode.co.uk

Tags: systems management, virtualisation
Posted in Dell KACE