När virtualiseringsmarknaden förändras : En kvalitativ studie om svenska organisationers valav virtualiseringsplattformar

Sammanfattning

The virtualization market has changed noticeably following Broadcom’s acquisition ofVMware. Changes in VMware’s licensing and business model have affectedorganizations that use virtualization platforms as a central part of their IT infrastructure.This applies particularly to platforms based on type 1-hypervisors. This has raisedquestions regarding costs, long-term flexibility and whether current platform choicesneed to be reassessed.The purpose of this study is to examine how Swedish organizations reason about thechoice of type 1 hypervisors in a changing virtualization market. The study aims toidentify which economic, technical and strategic factors are perceived as significantwhen choosing a virtualization platform.The study is based on a qualitative research design in which six semi-structuredinterviews were conducted with respondents who have experience of IT-infrastructure,virtualization or strategic IT decisions in Swedish organizations. The data was analysedusing principles inspired by grounded theory.The results show that functionality, stability and compatibility remain central factorswhen choosing a virtualization platform. At the same time, economic factors such aslicensing models, operating costs and long-term cost development have gained a moreprominent role. The results also show that vendor lock-in, internal competence andsupport influence how organizations reason about and assess alternative platforms.In summary, the study indicates that Swedish organizations increasingly reflect on theirexisting and alternative virtualization platforms as a result of the changing virtualizationmarket. However, the choice of type 1 hypervisor is not based on a single factor, but isshaped by a combination of technical requirements, economic conditions and strategicconsiderations.