No. 4: Energy. Oil and gas firms are flocking to clustered storage to cope with loads of data pertaining to the discovery and development of geological resources. (See Energy Firms Clamor for Clusters.) That's no surprise: This is an area where massive scaleability is called for -- fertile ground for new kinds of technologies. Look for seismic growth (pun intended!) in archiving and CAS.
No. 3: Broadcasting and Media. Roll 'em! This vertical accounted for over 10 percent of all storage spending worldwide in 2006, IDC reports. And depending on whether you include ISPs and Web-hosting providers as well as movie companies and firms like AOL, Time Warner, Turner Broadcasting, and Fox, the figures could come close to those of manufacturing or financial services.
Cisco has declared video, the coin of this realm, to be a top driver of its telco and carrier business. And video calls for lots of storage. This is also where clustered NAS firms like Isilon, Panasas, and OnStor have staked their claim. (See Turner Exec Explains Overhaul, Panasas Hires Marketing Chief, and Fox, IBM Expand Archive.) And considering Isilon's successful IPO this month, it's been a safe bet. (See Double-Take, Isilon Go Public.)
No. 2: Manufacturing. Here is a world where storage is key. We're talking enormous computing requirements, complicated workflow systems powered by technologies like RFID, and voluminous design and engineering data. Case in point: automobile giant General Motors, which has undertaken an ambitious $15 billion five-year IT outsourcing plan based on six big-name vendors, including EMC, HP, and IBM. (See GM's Eggs, IBM Picks Up $500M GM Deal and HP Grabs $700M of GM Biz.)
IDC says discrete manufacturing (including IT, automotive, electronics, and aerospace) accounted for 13.1 percent of U.S. storage spending in 2006. The firm sized the market at $1.5 billion in 2005. Can you say cash cow?
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
There are many network courses that can address your present job's priorities and help you gain the needed skills to keep pace with industry changes and new technologies.
