Key findings from TBR’s upcoming HCI customer research

Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) is a growing market ripe with opportunity for vendors. TBR forecasts the market will reach $11.7 billion by 2022. Although TBR research indicates that incumbent vendors with a strong presence in the converged infrastructure (CI) market, such as Dell EMC and Cisco, have an advantage in the space, findings also indicate that a growing number of smaller vendors are rising in popularity. Add to that the approximately one-quarter of existing customers who indicated that brand is not a key factor in their decision making, and it becomes clear that the opportunity to take share from existing vendors is high. Further, with nearly three-quarters of respondents indicating they have not yet taken the plunge into the HCI space, there is massive opportunity, through strategic marketing and support, for vendors to encourage new adopters to be their customers.

HCI has a significant place in the cloud market

Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated they are leveraging HCI for either hybrid or private cloud installations. TBR believes this suggests that cloud is not necessarily an inhibitor to HCI adoption, as some vendors may perceive. Further, we believe this signals that consumption-based pricing options, which 81% of respondents indicated they would be interested in considering in the future, will encourage more HCI adoption. Consumption-based pricing enables customers to select HCI for a capex solution as well as for public cloud if they choose, and they can simply compare performance and other features between the two to make purchasing decisions. Vendors can capitalize on this flexibility with strategic marketing.

IT leaders play a crucial role in the HCI decision-making process

HCI remains a strategic purchase, as evidenced by the fact that 74% of respondents indicated IT directors and managers were one of the decision makers. TBR believes that as customers become more familiar with HCI and their HCI vendor, they will be more likely to make repeat purchases and will be less likely to demand direct-from-vendor sales.

To learn more about TBR’s Hyperconverged Platforms Customer Research, contact Stanley Stevens ([email protected]) or your account executive.