62% Have SSDs Deployed in Data Centers

STEC, Inc. released the results of that survey, conducted onsite during the VMworld 2012 global conference for virtualization and cloud computing.

According to those survey results, few companies see implementing SSDs as a means of developing a competitive edge.

Key answers to the survey:

• 62% have SSDs deployed in their data centers
• 63% plan to add more SSDs within one year
• Just 5% believe SSDs provide a competitive advantage, while 60% cite higher IOPS and faster response time
• 56% say that less than 50% of their business-critical applications are supported by SSDs

"These survey results reflect the belief that next-generation applications across industries require enterprise SSDs with consistent, real-world performance so that companies can achieve higher IOPS and faster response times," said Jim Ting, VP product marketing, STEC. "This supports what we hear from customers about the benefits of STEC’s solutions for enterprise storage."

The survey was conducted throughout the first day of VMworld 2012, among a cross-section of attendees whose professions range from end-users to enterprise-system managers to CIOs.

Survey Results Data

136 surveys completed (some gave multiple answers to questions or left a question blank so it won’t always equal out to 100%)

Have SSDs been deployed in your data center?

• Yes – 85, 62%
• No – 45, 33%
• I don’t know – 16, 12%

Which of the following do you think will generate
the most demand for SSDs over the next year:

• Databases – 74, 54%
• Server virtualization workloads – 60, 44%
• Email application – 6, 4%
• Need for performance in a smaller data center footprint – 36, 26%

Have you heard anyone at your company complain
that the response time for a database
or enterprise application (such as email) was too long?

• Yes – 97, 71%
• No – 47, 34%

Does your company plan to add more SSDs to data center?
(Note: A and B added together to get 86
for the number in the headline)

• In six months – 46, 33%
• In a year – 40, 29%
• No plans to add more SSDs to the data center – 21, 15%
• I don’t know – 40, 29%

What percentage of your business-critical applications
are supported by SSDs?

• 75-100% – 17, 12%   
• 50-75% – 13, 9%
• Less than 50% – 77, 56%
• I don’t know – 31, 22%

What is the most compelling reason to adopt SSDs?

• Consistent higher performance for virtualized applications – 47, 34%
• Provides a competitive edge – 7, 5%
• Higher IOPS and faster response time for business applications – 81, 60%