EMA Releases First Research Report on the State of Autonomic Computing
Comprehensive study centers on enterprise IT awareness of and
willingness to adopt systems with self-managing functionality
BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 16, 2006, Enterprise Management Associates (EMA),
the leading independent IT management research and consulting firm,
today announced the release of the first in-depth and independent study
on autonomic computing. The 25-page research report "Is the Industry
Ready for Autonomic Computing?" explores current end-user awareness of
and attitudes toward autonomic computing. Later in 2007, EMA will
complete a follow-up study that will focus on vendors' current and
future plans to build autonomic capabilities into their products. EMA is
offering this report for purchase - as well as free access to a number
of other resources such as EMA's IT Management Solutions Center - at
www.enterprisemanagement.com
As technology systems become increasingly diverse, distributed and
interconnected, the effort required to manage them escalates, and rising
management costs directly reflect the magnitude of this effort. To solve
this problem, an IBM thought leader proposed the notion of "autonomic
computing," a concept that incorporates self-awareness and self-healing
capabilities into technology systems. These characteristics provide
systems with the wherewithal to manage themselves and others.
The phrase is derived from the human body's autonomic nervous system,
which regulates activities - such as heartbeat, blood pressure and
breathing - that help the body to adapt to a changing environment. In
technology, autonomic activities process and correlate real-time
environmental data arriving from the infrastructure, then issue
policy-based regulatory instructions to remediate real or potential
problems. In recent years, other vendors such as HP and Microsoft have
launched similar initiatives under other labels including "Adaptive
Enterprise" and "Dynamic Systems Initiative."
"From our viewpoint, autonomic computing is the "next generation" of
enterprise IT management," said Julie Craig, EMA senior analyst and lead
researcher for the report. "We see the evolution of autonomic computing
as a continuum, and its adoption as affecting ecosystems as well as
stand-alone technology. In terms of the adoption curve, we believe we
are at the early stages of autonomic capabilities, with build-out of
standards and products ongoing for many years in the future."
In the study Craig and her team surveyed more than 150 enterprise IT
professionals to answer key questions such as:
* What are the respondents' levels of familiarity and comfort with
autonomic computing in general?
* What are their top concerns?
* What features must be in place for them to consider a purchase?
* What will drive their adoption of autonomic computing?
* What is their comfort level with specific autonomic capabilities?
Some of the findings from the industry's first autonomic computing
survey include:
* Throughout 2006, the industry struggled with the high cost of IT
administration and support - autonomic computing offers a potential
solution.
* 28% of executives and 42% of technologists surveyed indicate that they
are not at all familiar with autonomic computing.
* Once autonomic computing was defined:
o19% of executives and 31% of technologists surveyed indicate
that they are using at least one autonomic capability in their
organization today
o85% of executives and 81% of technologists indicate that they
would be willing to use at least one autonomic capability in their
organization in the future
EMA's Craig will share highlights from this ground-breaking autonomic
computing study in a free, one-hour Webinar titled "Self-Managing
Systems: Is the Enterprise Ready for Autonomic Computing?" to be held on
Tues., Jan. 23, 2007, at 2 p.m. ET. To sign-up for the Webinar, visit:
http://www.emausa.com/ema_lead.php?ls=autonomicwebws0107&bs=autonomicweb
0107
About Enterprise Management Associates
Founded in 1996, EMA is the only industry analyst and consulting firm
dedicated to issues of IT Management. The firm conducts comprehensive,
in-depth research and analysis on current and emerging concepts, issues,
trends, strategies and resources. EMA consults with enterprise IT
professionals to assess their organization's current IT management
infrastructure, skills, efficiency and effectiveness-making
recommendations to improve productivity, maximize ROI, improve service
quality and align IT operations with business strategy. In addition, the
firm's work with vendors and service providers gives it significant
influence in the marketplace, reaching nearly 300,000 people each month.
For more information, visit www.enterprisemanagement.com
