This survey was conducted from July 16-29, 2014 to understand organizations' awareness and usage of converged systems. It found that the majority of respondents indicated their organization is either planning a migration or has already migrated some applications to converged systems. The top challenges driving interest in convergence were leveraging the cloud more effectively, complex IT environments, and poor resource utilization. Perceived obstacles included cost uncertainty and lack of skills. Anticipated benefits included improved efficiency, flexibility, and integration cost savings.

1. Quick Pulse:
Server (Convergence) #1
July 2014
Presented on behalf of:
Dell
MARKETING
RESEARCH
EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT
A WORLD OF INSIGHTS

2. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
Sample Method
Survey Goals
Field Work
This survey was fielded
from July 16, 2014 to
July 29, 2014
Total Respondents 58 qualified completes
Collection Online Questionnaire
Number of
Questions
6 (excluding screeners and
demographics)
Audience To complete this survey,
respondents were required to be
part of a 500+ employee
organization that has plans to use
converged systems over the next
year. Respondents were also
required to have excellent or good
knowledge regarding their
organization’s use of converged
systems.
The purpose of this survey is to understand awareness of convergence systems and their
usage within organizations.
METHODOLOGY & RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
2

3. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
Total Respondents Organization Size
58
19%
14%
12%
10%
7%
5%
5%
5%
Technology/Computer related
Financial Services & Insurance
Education
Healthcare
Manufacturing: Discrete or
Process
Government (Federal, State, or
Local)
Hospitality
Professional Services
RESPONDENT PROFILE
3
(NET) IT Management 65%
CIO, CTO 9%
CSO 3%
Executive VP, Senior VP, GM 10%
VP 3%
Managing Partner 2%
Director 21%
Manager 16%
Supervisor 2%
(NET) Business Management 9%
CFO, Controller, Treasurer 3%
Manager, Supervisor 5%
(NET) Other 26%
Consultant 17%
Other (Non-Manger) 9%
10,000+ employees 53%
1,000 – 9,999 employees 31%
500 – 999 employees 16%
* Full breakdowns can be found on slides 13 & 14
Top Represented Job Titles Top Represented Industries

4. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
41% 59%
Excellent
Involved in these decisions on a daily basis
(n=24)
Good
Somewhat involved in these decisions
(n=34)
S1: Which statement best describes your knowledge regarding your organization’s use or planned use of converged systems?
Base: 58 qualified respondents
In this survey we define convergence as a validated configuration
which combines physical compute (processor or server hardware),
networking, storage and unified management on one single box.
Knowledge of organization’s use/planned use of converged systems:
RESPONDENT PROFILE
4

5. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
• A majority of respondents note that their organization is either planning a migration to
converged systems or has already migrated at least some applications (both 36%).
• Over the next 12 months, 21% of organizations will be evaluating and 7% testing.
• Of those who have already migrated to converged systems, a little under half (43%) say
50% or more of their organization’s applications are supported by converged systems
currently.
• The need to leverage cloud more effectively is the top IT challenge driving interest in
converged systems.
• IT complexity and poor utilization of resources are also major challenges.
• Top obstacles to convergence are noted as Cost/Uncertainty about ROI (47%) and lack
of the right IT skill sets (40%).
• Organizations are aware of many benefits they receive or anticipate receiving from use
of converged systems, including improved IT efficiency, greatly flexibility with less
hardware, and cost savings in integration.
KEY FINDINGS
5

6. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
SURVEY RESULTS
6

7. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
Q1: Which statement best describes your organization’s use of converged systems (as defined in this survey) over the next 12 months?
Base: 58 qualified respondents
Use of Converged Systems
21%
36%
7%
36%
Evaluating
Migrated at least
some applications/
IT workloads
Testing
Planning a
migration to
converged systems
A majority of respondents note that their organization is either planning a
migration to converged systems or has already migrated at least some
applications (both 36%).
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8. A WORLD OF INSIGHTS
10%
29%
19%
38%
5% 2%
26%
28%14%
22%
9%
Currently Supported by Converged Systems
Out of those who have migrated
Will be supported 2 years from now
Out of Total
Of those who have already migrated to converged systems, a little under half
(43%) say 50% or more of their company applications are supported by
converged systems currently. One-fifth report that 75% or more of applications
will be supported by converged systems 2 years from now.
1% to less than 10%
10% to less than 25%
25% to less than 50%
50% to less than 75%
More than 75%
Don't know
Q2a: What percentage of all your company’s production IT workloads and applications are supported by converged systems currently?
Q2b: What percentage of all your company’s production IT workloads and applications do you expect will be supported by converged systems 2 years from now?
Base: 58 qualified respondents
8

9. Top IT Challenges Driving Interest in Converged Systems
57%
48%
47%
41%
34%
33%
3%
2%
Need to leverage cloud more effectively
IT complexity/IT environment is harder to manage
Poor utilization of resources
Siloed environment is contributing to increased IT costs
It takes too long to provision applications and
infrastructure
Difficulty keeping up with business demands
Other
Don’t know
A WORLD OF INSIGHTS 9
The need to leverage cloud more effectively is the top IT challenge driving
interest in converged systems.
Q3: What are the top IT challenges driving your organization’s interest in converged systems?
Base: 58 qualified respondents

10. Obstacles to Convergence
47%
40%
34%
33%
29%
28%
22%
3%
5%
Cost/Unsure of ROI
Lack the right IT skill sets
Concerns about the reliability of current technology
Gaining executive buy-in to move forward with the
transformation
Fear of vendor lock-in/loss of control
Lack of or few shared IT resources currently (integration
challenges)
Poor customer support in multi-vendor environment
Other
None
A WORLD OF INSIGHTS 10
Cost/Uncertainty regarding ROI and lack of the right IT skill sets are the two top
obstacles to convergence.
Q4: What are or were the obstacles to convergence at your organization?
Base: 58 qualified respondents

11. Benefits Anticipating or Received from Use of Converged Systems
60%
59%
53%
50%
45%
45%
43%
36%
5%
Improved IT efficiency
Greater flexibility with less hardware
Cost savings in integration
Accelerated IT-as-a-service deployment
Ease of virtualization
Improved IT service quality
Increased automation
Less management complexity
Don’t know
A WORLD OF INSIGHTS 11
Organizations are aware of many benefits they receive or anticipate receiving
from use of converged systems, including improved IT efficiency, greater
flexibility with less hardware, and cost savings in integration.
Q5: Which of the following benefits is your IT organization anticipating (or has it received) from the use of converged systems?
Base: 58 qualified respondents

12. IDG Research Services specializes in marketing and media-related research
for technology marketers. As a division of International Data Group (IDG), the
world's leading technology media, research, and event company, IDG Research
Services brings the resources and experience of a large, global company to its
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please visit our website.
Janet King
GM/Vice President
Office: 508-766-5601
Fax: 508-766-5600
Email: janet_king@idgresearch.com
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