Study: Virtualization is going mainstream

The virtualization services market will grow from $5.5 billion in 2006 to $11.7 billion in 2011, according to a new study.

The study is from IDC, a Framingham-based global provider of market intelligence.

"Virtualization" software dramatically increases the number of tasks that can be performed on a single computer; one result of a move toward virtualization is that companies can buy fewer computers and cut energy costs.

At the moment, the market for virtualization services is "nascent compared to the overall market" for information-technology services, the IDC study said, but that market will dramatically expand as "virtualization goes mainstream" and data center managers struggle to address power and cooling issues and the need for increased capacity.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)