What's in Store for 2005?

2005 promises to be a good year for data center managers on the lookout for new servers and storage kit, according to analyst firm IDC (see IDC Makes 2005 Predictions).

The firm today unveiled its technology predictions for the coming year, which contained good news for businesses looking to purchase new hardware. Commoditization and downward pricing pressure are the two big trends for 2005, Frank Gens, IDCs senior vice president of research, explained during a teleconference earlier today.

Data center managers will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of the server price cuts that have characterized the last few years continuing. This is being driven, in no small part, by the growing popularity of blade servers, according to IDC’s analysts (see Get Set for Server Savings and 64-Bit Blades Battle).

Gens points to Dell Computer Corp.’s (Nasdaq: DELL) entry into the blade server market last month as evidence of the sector's strength, and explains that the U.S. will lead 2005’s blade charge, followed by Western Europe and Asia/Pacific (see Dell Releases Blade Server).

But blades are not IDC’s only hot technology for the coming year. (see The Heat Is On and Data Center Heat Wave). Low-cost, high-capacity drives will force similar price cuts in the storage market.