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IDC Sees 5.1 Percent Server Growth In 2011 Based On Cloud, Mobile Growth: Page 2 of 2

Even though the aim of cloud computing is to give businesses access to computing resources without having to buy their own hardware, cloud computing is still going to be a significant driver of server sales growth, the analysts say. Cloud service providers, for instance, are fueling demand for what are called "ultra-dense servers," which Scaramella describes as stripped-down servers optimized for compute density, scalability and energy efficiency.

Scaramella also identified an emerging market for what he calls "micro servers," which should gain traction this year. The segment is so new IDC doesn't have a formal definition of a micro server yet, but "it's aimed for extreme density and energy efficiency, but with a trade-off in processing," Scaramella says. This is a market in which ARM and Atom processors could be popular.

IDC analysts made 10 predictions in all for 2011 in their Webcast, including: increased adoption of converged infrastructure computing; growing demand for high-availability systems; an emphasis on workload-optimized systems for business intelligence; other business applications such as collaboration and database/online transaction processing; and ongoing power and cooling system monitoring.

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