TAXONOMY
IDC's Worldwide Workloads Taxonomy, 2017
Matthew Eastwood
Ashish Nadkarni
Natalya Yezhkova
IDC'S WORLDWIDE WORKLOADS TAXONOMY
FIGURE 1
Workloads Primary Segments
Source: IDC, 2017
February 2017, IDC #US42292617
TABLE OF CONTENTS
P.
IDC's Worldwide Workloads Taxonomy
1
Workloads Taxonomy Changes for 2017
1
Taxonomy Overview
1
Pivots Available in the Study
1
Definitions
5
Workload Definitions
5
Applications
5
Collaborative Applications
5
Content Applications
5
Business Applications
6
Data Management
7
Structured Data Management Software
7
Structured Data Analytics
8
Unstructured Data (Content) Analytics
8
Application Development/Test
Application Development
9
9
IT Infrastructure
9
File/Print
9
Networking
10
Security
10
System Management Software
11
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
11
Web Infrastructure
12
Media Streaming
12
Web Serving
12
Engineering/Technical
12
Engineering/Technical Applications
Other (Deprecated)
12
13
Location Definitions
13
Learn More
14
Methodology
14
Related Research
14
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LIST OF TABLES
P.
1
Storage Workload Segmentation
1
2
Server Workload Segmentation
3
3
Workloads Forecasts
4
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LIST OF FIGURES
P.
2
Location of Infrastructure
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WORKLOADS TAXONOMY CHANGES FOR 2017
This is the first publication of IDC's workloads taxonomy in the Servers and Computing Platforms
research program.
TAXONOMY OVERVIEW
This study serves as the taxonomy for IDC's multiclient study Worldwide (Server and Storage)
Workloads Study (which was last released on July 29, 2016, and is in its 12th year. This taxonomy is
based on and mapped to IDC's Worldwide Software Taxonomy, 2016 (IDC #US41572216, July 2016).
Pivots Available in the Study
Tables 1 and 2 provide the pivots available in this study. Table 3 provides the metrics for forecast.
Table 1
Storage Workload Segmentation
Pivot
Topics
Segmentation
A
Storage units
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and storage units
B
Storage array type
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and storage array type
(solid state, hybrid, traditional HDD)
C
Server OS
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and server OS
(Windows, Linux, Unix, i/OS, z/OS, other)
D
Deployment driver
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and deployment driver
(refresh/replacement, capacity/growth, and new application)
E
Scale up versus scale out
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and scale up versus
scale out
F
Production versus backup
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and backup (copy data
for backup and DR, including replicated data)
G
Company size segmentation
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and company size
H
Vertical segmentation
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and vertical industry
I
Vendor segmentation
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and vendor for 2015
J
Channel segmentation
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and distribution
channel (direct or indirect)
K
Deployment location
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and server deployment
location (datacenter versus departmental)
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Table 1
Storage Workload Segmentation
Pivot
Topics
Segmentation
L
SI services segmentation
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and SI services
(services or no services)
M
Tape attached
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and tape attached
N
System life cycle
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and server life cycle
(1–3 years, 4 years, 5+ years)
O
Application type
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and application type
(traditional app or cloud-native app)
P
Mission critical
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and mission criticality
(business impact of 1 hour of downtime)
Q
Acquisition model
premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and acquisition model
(lease/finance versus purchase)
R
Technology driver
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and technology driver
(compute, I/O, memory, storage)
S
System type
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and infrastructure type
(general purpose, reference architecture, integrated system, hyperconverged)
T
Mobile optimization
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and technology driver
(compute, I/O, memory, storage)
U
Custom versus packaged
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and application
packaging (Custom versus packaged)
V
Age of organization
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and age of
organization (<5 years, 5 to <10 years, 10 to <25 years, 25+ years)
W
Rate of business change
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and rate of business
change (low, medium, high)
X
Technology adoption profile
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and technology
adoption profile (first to adopt, sooner than later, wait and see, last to adopt)
Y
Platform type
Premises, infrastructure type, installation, product category, and platform type
(virtualization, container, bare metal)
Note: Storage workload data is segmented by the following: premises (on versus off), infrastructure type (traditional/dedicated versus
shared/pooled), installation (internal versus external), product category (DAS, NAS, SAN), and storage price band (IDC's 10 standard
storage price bands).
Source: IDC, 2017
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Table 2
Server Workload Segmentation
Pivot
Topics
Segmentation
A
Scale up versus scale out
OS, price band, and scale up versus scale out
B
Socket capability
OS, price band, and CPU capacity (1 socket, 2 sockets, 4 sockets, etc.)
C
CPU type
OS, price band, and CPU type (x86, EPIC, RISC, CISC)
D
Form factor
OS and form factor (tower, rack server, blade server, density optimized)
E
Company size segmentation
OS, price band, and company size
F
Vertical segmentation
OS, price band, and vertical industry
G
Vendor segmentation
OS and vendor
H
Channel segmentation
OS, price band, and distribution channel (direct or indirect)
I
Server deployment location
OS, price band, and server deployment location (datacenter versus departmental)
J
SI services segmentation
OS, price band, and SI services (services or no services)
K
Tape attached
OS, price band, and tape attached
L
Server life cycle
OS, price band, and server life cycle (1–3 years, 4 years, 5+ years)
M
Server utilization
OS, price band, and server utilization (1–20%, 21–30%, 31–50%, 50%+)
N
Server memory
OS, price band, and server memory (1GB to <2GB, 2GB to <8GB, 8GB to <16GB,
16GB+)
O
Internal disk drives
OS, price band, and internal disk drives (1 drive, 2 drives, 3–4 drives, 5+ drives)
P
Mission critical
OS, price band, and mission criticality (business impact of 1 hour of downtime)
Q
Acquisition model
Segmented by OS, price band, and acquisition model (lease/finance versus
purchase)
R
Deployment driver
OS, price band, and deployment driver (refresh/replacement, capacity/growth, and
new application)
S
Technology driver
OS and technology driver (compute, I/O, memory, storage)
T
System type
OS and infrastructure type (general purpose, reference architecture, integrated
system, hyperconverged)
U
Custom versus packaged
OS and application packaging (Custom versus packaged)
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Table 2
Server Workload Segmentation
Pivot
Topics
Segmentation
V
Age of organization
OS and age of organization (<5 years, 5 to <10 years, 10 to <25 years, 25+ years)
W
Rate of business change
OS and rate of business change (low, medium, high)
X
Technology adoption profile
OS and technology adoption profile (first to adopt, sooner than later, wait and see,
last to adopt)
Y
Platform type
OS and platform type (virtualization, container, bare metal)
Z
Production versus backup
OS and backup (copy data for backup and DR, including replicated data)
Note: Server workload data is segmented by the following: premises (on versus off), infrastructure type (traditional/dedicated versus
shared/cloud), OS (Windows, Linux, Unix, I/OS, z/OS, other OS), and server price band (IDC's 11 standard server price bands).
Source: IDC, 2017
Table 3
Workloads Forecasts
Server
Storage
Metrics
Customer revenue, server shipments
Customer revenue, terabytes
Workload detail
Workload type and workload
Workload type and workload
Application type
Traditional versus next gen
Traditional versus next gen
Other segmentations
Deployment scenario, operating system
Deployment scenario, storage type (DAS, NAS, SAN)
Period
2016–2020
2016–2020
Source: IDC, 2017
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DEFINITIONS
Workload Definitions
Applications
Collaborative Applications
Collaborative applications enable groups of people to work together by sharing information and
processes. These include:

Conferencing applications: Conferencing applications (aka web, data, visual, electronic, or
real-time conferencing) provide a real-time connection for the viewing, exchange, or creation
of content and information by two or more users in a scheduled or ad hoc online meeting or
event. Conferencing applications include web conferencing, which are a set of technologies
and services that allow people to hold real-time and synchronous conferences over the
internet.

Email applications: Email applications provide a framework for electronic messaging. The core
integrated functionality can consist of mail messaging, group calendaring and scheduling,
shared folders/databases, and threaded discussions.

Enterprise social networks (ESNs): Enterprise social networks enable social collaboration
capabilities to users that are either inside or outside an organization's firewall. Solution
capabilities should include, but are not limited to, activity streams, blogs, wikis, microblogging,
discussion forums, groups (public or private), ideas, profiles, recommendation engines
(people, content, or objects), tagging, bookmarking, and online communities.

Team collaboration applications (TCAs): Team collaborative applications provide a
workspace, an integrated set of web-based tools for ad hoc, unstructured, document-centric
collaboration between groups or individuals between known domains. A TCA can be
represented by secure "rooms" that contain documents, chat history, and transaction history in
order to maintain a persistent auditable history or a more multipurpose shared workspace
where users are able to store, access, and share files.

File synchronization and sharing: Sync and share software are applications that enable users
to store file-based content to synchronize files across designated devices and to share folders
and files with designated people and systems.
Content Applications
Content applications are where content is born and managed and include content management
software; authoring and publishing software; cognitive systems, content analytics, and discovery
software; eDiscovery software; and enterprise portals:

Content management: Content management software builds, organizes, manages, and stores
collections of digital works in any medium or format. The software in this market includes
document management, web content management, capture and image management, digital
asset management, and records management.

Authoring and publishing: Authoring and publishing software is defined as software used to
create, author, edit, and publish content, including text documents, spreadsheets,
presentations, images, and audio, video, and XML-structured documents. It does not include
the software used to design and develop websites.

eDiscovery: eDiscovery software focuses on software and applications that span the
Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM), including early case assessment applications,
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eDiscovery review platforms, full spectrum eDiscovery suites, and applications focused on
individual EDRM components. These applications automate business process management
and data management activities during early case assessment, early data assessment (EDA),
collection, review, analysis, and production.

Enterprise portals: Enterprise portals integrate access to information and multiple applications
and present it to the business user in a useful format.
Business Applications
Business applications form the backbone for most business operations. They include enterprise
resource management applications, supply chain management applications, operations and
manufacturing applications, and customer relationship management (CRM) applications:




Enterprise resource management applications: Enterprise resource management applications
are designed to automate and optimize business processes related to resources required to
meet business or organizational objectives but are not customer or prospect facing or
specialized to various types of engineering. The resources automated include people,
finances, capital, materials, suppliers, projects, contracts, orders, and facilities:

Financial applications (financial and accounting and treasury and risk management)

Human capital management (core HR, recruiting, compensation management, workforce
performance management, learning management, and workforce management)

Payroll/accounting

Procurement

Order management

Enterprise performance management

Project and portfolio management

Enterprise asset management
Supply chain management applications: Supply chain management application software
automates supply- and demand-side business processes that bring a product or a service to
market, including multisite organizations involved in a complex supply chain process, including
raw materials suppliers, contract manufacturers, 3PL and 4PL providers, and individual
transportation and warehousing organizations:

Logistics

Production planning

Inventory management
Operations and manufacturing applications: Operations and manufacturing applications are
enterprise applications that automate and optimize processes related to the planning and
execution of services operations and manufacturing activities, as well as other back-office
activities. The resources automated include people, capital, materials, and facilities:

Services operations management

Manufacturing

Other back-office applications
Customer relationship management: CRM applications automate the customer-facing
business processes within an organization, irrespective of industry specificity (i.e., sales,
marketing, customer service, and contact center). Collectively, these applications serve to
manage the entire life cycle of a customer — including the process of brand building,
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conversion of a prospect to a customer, and the servicing of a customer — and help an
organization build and maintain successful relationships:

Sales

Marketing

Customer service

Contact center
Data Management
Structured Data Management Software
Structured data management software includes products that manage a common set of defined data
that is kept in one or more databases (structures of managed data shared by multiple application
programs) and is driven by data definitions and rules, whether this involves a single database
accessed directly by applications or distributed databases accessed by multiple applications in
multiple locations. A database management system (DBMS) is a software entity that manages a
database in such a way that it may be queried and randomly updated. Further:

Relational database management systems (RDBMS): The relational database management
system market includes multiuser DBMSs that are primarily organized according to the
relational paradigm and that use SQL, or a protocol like SQL (such as ODBC or JDBC) as the
foundational language for data definition and access.

Nonrelational database management systems (NRDBMS): Nonrelational database
management systems are those that are not based on the relational paradigm. They use a
variety of other approaches to the organization, management, storage, and retrieval of data.
There are three categories of nonrelational DBMS (schematic, semi-schematic, nonschematic). Further:



End-user database management systems

Navigational database management systems

Object-oriented database management systems

Multivalue database management systems
Dynamic data management systems: A dynamic data management system can accept data
without requiring that the structure and elements of the data be defined in advance. These
include scalable data collection managers (the most common being Hadoop) and dynamic
DBMSs. Because they do not require the use of SQL, dynamic DBMSs are sometimes called
NoSQL database systems:

Document-oriented database software

Key-accessible database systems

Graph database management systems

Scalable data collection managers
Database development and management tools: Dynamic data grid managers (DDGMs)
manage data that is being used and constantly altered by running application processes. This
software enables those processes, running on either a single system or multiple systems in a
network, to share this data:

Database administration tools

Database replication software
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
Data modeling tools

Database archiving and ILM software

Database development and optimization software

Database security software

Dynamic data grid managers (DDGMs): Dynamic data grid managers manage data that is
being used and constantly altered by running application processes. This software enables
those processes, running either on a single system or multiple systems in a network, to share
this data.

Data integration and integrity software: Data integration and integrity software enables the
access, blending, and movement of data among multiple data sources. The purpose of data
integration is to ensure the consistency of information where there is a logical overlap of the
information content of two or more discrete systems:

Bulk management software

Dynamic data movement software

Data quality software

Data access infrastructure

Composite data framework

Master core definition and control software

Metadata management software

Self-service data preparation software
Structured Data Analytics
Structured data analytics aligns with data access, analysis, and delivery software in IDC's Worldwide
Software Taxonomy, 2016 (IDC #US41572216, July 2016). Data access, analysis, and delivery
products are end user–oriented tools for ad hoc data access, analysis, and reporting as well as
production reporting. Products in this category are most commonly used by information consumers or
power users rather than by professional programmers:

End-user query, reporting, and analysis software: Query, reporting, and analysis software
includes ad hoc query and multidimensional analysis tools as well as dashboards, data
visualization, and production reporting tools:

Query, reporting, and analysis software includes ad hoc query and multidimensional
analysis tools as well as dashboards, data visualization, and production reporting tools.

Query and reporting tools are designed specifically to support ad hoc data access and
report building by either IT or business users.

Advanced and predictive analytics software: It includes data mining and statistical software. It
uses a range of techniques to create, test, and execute statistical models.

Spatial information management software: It includes geographic information system (GIS)
software and also includes tools for data entry/conversion (surveying/COGO, aerial photo
rectification, remote sensing, GPS, and others), mapping/spatial query, and business analysis.
Unstructured Data (Content) Analytics
Unstructured data analytics aligns with content applications in IDC's Worldwide Software Taxonomy,
2016 (IDC #US41572216, July 2016). Cognitive/AI systems and content analytics software analyzes,
organizes, accesses, and provides advisory services based on a range of unstructured information and
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also provides a platform for the development of analytic and cognitive applications. Large amounts of
structured and unstructured data, content analytics, information discovery, and analysis as well as
numerous other infrastructure technologies and cognitive/AI systems use deep natural language
processing and understanding to answer questions, provide recommendations and direction,
hypothesize and formulate possible answers based on available evidence, be trained through the
ingestion of vast amounts of content, and automatically adapt and learn from its mistakes and failures.
Application Development/Test
Application Development




Application development software: The application development software markets include
software, tools, and development environments used by developers, business analysts, and
other professionals to create both web-based and traditional applications:

Development of languages, environments, and tools

Software construction components

Business rule management systems

Modeling and architecture tools
Quality and life-cycle tools: Quality and life-cycle tools support the process of software
development and deployment:

Automated software quality (ASQ)

Software change, configuration, and process management
Application platforms: The application platform secondary market includes technologies that
present a cohesive application execution environment for applications built on a server or
back-end component:

Deployment-centric application platforms

Model-driven application platforms

Transaction process monitors
Integration middleware: Integration middleware is server software or appliances installed onpremises inside a datacenter or offered in a public or private cloud to integrate applications.
Integration middleware supports passing data through a web service or receiving data by
calling a web service:

Business-to-business middleware

Integration middleware

Event-driven middleware

Managed file transfer software
(Note: Much of the information provided in this section is orthogonal to all workloads.)
IT Infrastructure
File/Print
File/print sharing includes infrastructure applications with the purpose primarily of being endpoints. (A
transaction is sent to the network to be printed or stored on a disk, or a request is made to get
information from the network. This category also would include cache servers.) File/print servers are
built using general-purpose (not purpose built for storage services) operating platforms. Commonly
used OS platforms include Microsoft Windows Server, Linux variants, and commercial Unix variants.
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Microsoft Windows Server in most cases is used to deliver file services via SMB (CIFS), while in the
case of Linux and Unix, they are used to deliver file services via NFS. Samba is often used on Linux
and Unix platforms to deliver services via SMB. For printing services, they usually utilize common print
protocols like Jet Direct, CUPS, and LPD.
Networking
The network software market includes a broad set of networking and communications technologies
that are deployed across enterprise, cloud provider, and communication service provider (CSP)
domains. These encompass the products and technologies that are primarily deployed to build and
support local area or wide area networks for established and emerging applications including voice
and video, across enterprise/private and public, and fixed and mobile networks:


Network infrastructure software (NIS): Network infrastructure software encompasses software
that enables virtualized networking, optimization, orchestration, and related network
infrastructure functions across enterprise, datacenter, and communication service provider
networks. This software can be an alternate deployment model running on commodity
hardware while providing networking and/or communications functionality. It may work at any
or all layers of the network stack and can include data plane software and control plane
software, as well as the broad areas of network virtualization across all types of enterprise and
service provider networks:

Network application delivery

Network virtualization and SDN controller software
Network management software: Network management software includes solutions for
managing the network components of enterprise infrastructures. It includes two categories:
network performance management and network operations management. The products within
network management often and increasingly will integrate with cross-domain infrastructure.
Security
The security software market includes a wide range of technologies used to improve the security of
computers, information systems, internet communications, networks, and transactions. It is used for
confidentiality, integrity, privacy, and assurance. Through the use of security applications,
organizations can provide security management, access control, authentication, malware protection,
encryption, data loss prevention (DLP), intrusion detection and prevention, vulnerability assessment,
and perimeter defense:

Identity and access management: Identity and access management is a comprehensive set of
solutions used to identify users (employees, customers, contractors, and others) in an IT
environment and control their access to resources within that environment by associating user
rights and restrictions with the established identity and assigned user accounts.

Endpoint security: The endpoint security market covers both the corporate and the consumer
segments. The market includes client antimalware software, file/storage server antimalware,
personal firewall software, host intrusion prevention software, file/disk encryption, white listing,
patch management desktop URL filtering, and endpoint data loss prevention.

Messaging security: The messaging security market includes both software and SaaS
platforms. The security technologies include antispam, antimalware, content filtering, and DLP.

Network security: The network security market includes enterprise firewall software, network
intrusion detection and prevention software, unified threat management software, IPSec/SSL
VPN software, network access control, and the associated management software.
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
Web security: Web security includes both software and SaaS platforms. The security
technologies include web filtering, web antimalware, web application firewall, Web 2.0
security, and web DLP.

Security and vulnerability management software: Security and vulnerability management is a
comprehensive set of solutions that focus on allowing organizations to determine, interpret,
and improve their risk posture.

Other security software: Other security software covers emerging security functions that do not
fit well into an existing category. It also includes some of the underlying security functions,
such as encryption tools and algorithms that are the basis for many security functions found in
other software and hardware products.
System Management Software
System management software is used to manage all the computing resources for the end user, small
business, workgroup, or enterprise, including systems, applications, desktop, and client and endpoint
devices:

IT event and log management tools: IT event and log management tools automate the
analysis and response of the systems to nonscheduled system and application events and
root cause analysis.

Workload scheduling and automation software: Workload scheduling and automation software
manages the provisioning, placement, migration, and execution flow of workloads on systems
and the provisioning, scaling, and management orchestration of images, operating systems,
containers, and applications onto physical and virtual servers. It also includes service
brokering, optimization, and self-service provisioning solutions used to enable cloud and
software-defined datacenter systems and applications management:


Workload management

Datacenter automation
Output management: Output management tools automate the operation, control,
administration, tracking, and delivery of print and digital information within an organization:

Device management

Print management

Enterprise output management

Performance management: Performance management software is used for compute
infrastructure and application performance monitoring, performance data collection,
performance tracking, forecasting, capacity and performance analysis, simulation and
planning software, predictive analytics, and business performance impact analysis enabled by
IT and APM performance data.

Change and configuration management: Change and configuration management software
provides change, configuration, compliance and asset tracking for physical and virtual
systems, application software containers, cloud infrastructure and services and client, desktop,
mobile devices, and peripheral hardware and software assets but not network devices.

Problem management: Problem management software tracks, records, and manages
problems related to the IT infrastructure and operations.
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure
IDC defines the virtual client computing (VCC) functional market as a client computing model that
leverages a range of brokering software and display protocols to enable server-based client computing
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and improve upon the limitations associated with the traditional distributed desktop environment. The
VCC market includes products that enable centralized virtual desktop, virtual user session, and other
forms of client virtualization, to include type 2 hypervisor, containerized, and cloud-based solutions for
delivering virtualized desktops and applications.
Web Infrastructure
Media Streaming
Media streaming aligns with system software in IDC's Worldwide Software Taxonomy, 2016 (IDC
#US41572216, July 2016). A media server is a device that stores and shares media including
audio/music and picture files on demand to client devices including PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
Media server requires a method of storing or accessing stored media and a network connection with
enough bandwidth to allow access to that media. A media server generally requires large amounts of
RAM and a powerful multicore CPU. RAID storage configurations are often used to prevent loss of the
media files due to disk failure.
The media bitstream is delivered from the media streaming server to a client using a transport
protocol, such as MMS or RTP or an adaptive bitrate stream over the Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP) as an alternative. The streaming client may interact with the streaming server using a control
protocol, such as MMS or RTSP. Audio streams are often compressed using audio codec such as
MP3 or AAC, while video streams are generally compressed using a video codec such as H.264 or
VP8. Encoded audio and video streams are assembled in a container bitstream such as MP4, FLV,
WebM, ASF, or ISMA.
Web Serving
Web serving aligns with system software in IDC's Worldwide Software Taxonomy, 2016 (IDC
#US41572216, July 2016). A web server is a system that processes requests via HTTP — the basic
network protocol used to distribute information on the World Wide Web — to accept requests from other
servers and then search file systems according to the request. The primary function of a web server is
to store, process, and deliver web pages to clients. The communication between client and server
takes place using HTTP. Pages delivered are most frequently HTML documents, which may include
images, style sheets, and scripts in addition to text content. A web browser typically initiates
communication with the web server by making a request for a specific resource using HTTP and the
server responds with the content of that resource or an error message if unable to do so.
Engineering/Technical
Beginning with 2017, engineering/technical is its own primary and secondary category.
Engineering/Technical Applications
Engineering applications automate all of the business processes and data management activities
specific to ideas management, concept planning, and design and the handoff of a design to execution
(manufacturing, construction, or other). These applications include:

Mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD): MCAD software is utilized for tasks typically
performed by designers and drafters.

Mechanical computer-aided engineering (CAE): Mechanical CAE applications address tasks
such as structural/stress analysis, kinematics, fluid dynamics, thermal analysis, and test data
analysis.
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
Mechanical computer-aided manufacturing (CAM): Mechanical CAM applications prepare data
for actual production on the shop floor (e.g., NC tape generation and data for CNC machines).

Collaborative product data management (cPDM): Collaborative product data management
applications provide engineering groups but also increasingly cross-disciplinary teams across
the enterprise as well as outside of its four walls.

Other engineering applications: Other engineering applications support electronic design
automation.

Architectural/engineering/construction and other engineering functions.

Beginning with 2017, this category also includes computational fluid dynamics, floating point,
fixed point integer, memcached, and video transcoding. These were previously categorized
under Compute.
Other (Deprecated)
Beginning with 2017, there is no other category.
Location Definitions
Figure 2 illustrates how the workloads study treats on-premises and off-premises cloud and traditional
IT (noncloud) infrastructure.
FIGURE 2
Location of Infrastructure
Source: IDC, 2017
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Methodology
The server and storage workloads 2017 multiclient study is a detailed research study that includes:

Interviews with 800 senior IT managers at U.S. sites

Emphasis on new server and storage purchases

Survey constructed to showcase usage across four common deployment scenarios

Workloads are mutually exclusive with segments adding to a total market value
Screener qualification:

Ability to influence server and storage purchasing decisions

Knowledge of operating systems and workloads
Survey data is mapped to IDC's cloud infrastructure tracker/forecast coupled with server and storage
tracker/forecast to produce server and storage workloads market model by deployment model. IDC
has been conducting workloads research annually since 1999.
Related Research

Composable Infrastructure Is About IT Efficiency and Business Agility (IDC #US42259717,
January 2017)

Regional Server Forecast Assumptions, 3Q16 (IDC #US42232417, January 2017)

Worldwide Cloud Server Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC #US41501716, December 2016)

Worldwide Cloud IT Infrastructure Hardware Spending Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC
#US41985416, December 2016)

Worldwide Fault-Tolerant Servers Market Shares, 2015: New Products Grow AL4 Market by
54.1% (IDC #US41980816, December 2016)

IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Enterprise Infrastructure 2017 Predictions (IDC #US42145516,
December 2016)

Worldwide Server Operating Environments Market Shares, 2015: Linux Continues to Shape
the Future (IDC #US41360517, December 2016)

Worldwide Windows Server Operating Environments Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC
#US42028216, December 2016)

Worldwide Server Operating Environment Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC #US40775916,
December 2016)

Worldwide and U.S. High-Availability Server Forecast, 2016–2020: A New Baseline for Fault
Tolerance While Clustering Is Outpacing the Market (IDC #US42016416, December 2016)

Worldwide Windows Client Operating Environments Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC #US40776216,
December 2016)

Worldwide Linux Server Operating Environments Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC #US40776316,
December 2016)

Redefining Hybrid Infrastructure: Amazon Brings Cloud Innovations to the Edge (IDC
#US42055816, December 2016)

Worldwide Server Forecast Update, 2016–2020 (IDC #US41903016, December 2016)
©2017 IDC
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14

Worldwide Business Analytics Technology and Services Forecast, 2016–2020 (IDC
#US41975016, December 2016)

IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Software Business Models and Monetization 2017 Predictions
(IDC #US41995616, December 2016)

The IoT Cloud: Infrastructure Options for Accelerating the Shift to Digital Business Services
(IDC #US41952016, December 2016)
Synopsis
This IDC study presents IDC's taxonomy for workloads.
"Digital transformation is also forcing a level of agility not seen before in IT organizations," said
Matthew Eastwood, senior vice president of Enterprise Infrastructure Research at IDC and the chief
architect of IDC's Workloads study. "Companies are embracing public cloud services to complement
their private cloud or noncloud environments at an unprecedented scale." To better represent how
enterprises consider the deployment of new and existing workloads, IDC's server and storage market
model segments them into four deployment scenarios (which are on-premises traditional, on-premises
cloud, off-premises traditional, and off-premises cloud). Customers have more choices for
technologies, service providers, vendors, channel partners, financing, configurations, deployment
models, procurement scenarios, and routes to market than ever before. In this business environment,
customers of all types, sizes, and verticals are increasingly looking to define themselves digitally, and
as they do this, they are becoming savvier at addressing their workload requirements.
©2017 IDC
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About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory
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