Despite strong sales in late 2008, the storage software
market has begun to show signs of a buffeting from the depressed
times according to IDC's latest Worldwide Quarterly Storage
Software Tracker.
The survey revealed that the
worldwide storage
software market experienced its 21st consecutive quarter of
year-over-year growth in the fourth quarter of 2008 with
revenues of $3.03 billion, a 3.6% increase over the same quarter
one year ago.
The same three companies led
storage software revenue in Q408 as in Q407. EMC commanded a
26% market share with $787 million worth of revenue, an increase
year on year of 4.2%. Symantec again was in second place, accruing
$556 million for an 18% share, and upping revs by 7%. IBM’s $401
million of revenue (up 10% year on year) yielded a third place with
13% market share.
The next three companies all saw revenue slip year on year.
Number four commune NetApp experience a 6% dip in sales, accruing
$227 of revenue. Next came HP and CA whose sales declined by 5.2%
and 4.7% respectively.
Analysing the results, James Baker, IDC's research manager for
Storage Software said, “On a yearly basis, storage-based software
showed continuing growth when comparing like quarters year over
year. Particularly strong were the Data Protection and Recovery,
File System Software, and Archiving segments. However, same year Q3
to Q4 comparisons are negative or neutral reflecting the downward
pressure from the worldwide economic crisis".
Evidence for this came with the two largest storage
segments—
data protection and recovery software and storage replication
software—dropping slightly between Q3 and Q4.