The virtualization technology long enjoyed by mainframe customers has swept through the x86 server realm. As a result, operating system, middleware and server vendors have assigned a very high level of importance to virtualization software, seeing it both as a challenge and an opportunity.

This IDC Technology Assessment covers the current state of the virtualization market and tracks customer adoption trends of the technology. In addition, it looks at the effect major virtualization players will have on the industry as a whole in the coming years.

The report covers basics such as the primary use of virtualization software and vendor responses to the technology. It then shoots further out to examine things such as disposable software appliances, revamped hosting scenarios and shifting mobile computing approaches that could shakeup the server market.