Hold Everything update from August 2004

Switch Intelligence: Devices Get Even Smarter

By 2005-06, intelligent switches will host many storage applications, including virtualization, data movement, provisioning and security. They'll eliminate the need for special-purpose storage appliances in those areas, even as special-purpose devices emerge for security/encryption, storage-resource management and other applications.SOURCE: META GROUP

Storage-Software Support Services: Say That 10 Times Fast

By 2008, vendors will spend $820 million per year on storage-software support services--building supportability into products, expanding high-end support offerings, providing sales with a service-specific incentive, certifying channel support partners and investigating closer partnerships with other storage vendors.SOURCE: IDC

Storage Network Integration: Sign Up HereBy 2008-09, network functionality will become a service to which storage organizations subscribe, just as storage is becoming a service to application/ database managers.SOURCE: META GROUP