IBM, Sun, and Hewlett-Packard Achieve Highest Brand Awareness in Enterprise Network Computer Market According to IDC Research
PR Newswire - March 16, 1998 08:01
IBM SUNW HWP %CPR %MLM V%PRN P%PRN
IDC's First End User Survey of Enterprise Network Computer Customer Buying
Patterns Shows Market Confusion, Opportunity
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Enterprise Network
Computer (NC) brands of three major large vendors -- IBM, Sun, and Hewlett-
Packard -- are perceived most strongly according to a new study by
International Data Corporation (IDC). This study -- the first of its kind to
examine brand awareness -- analyzes the results of an end user survey of
buying patterns and the direction of Enterprise NCs at 270 customer sites.
Forty-six percent of respondents when asked "which brand comes to mind when
you think of NCs" said IBM Network Stations, the IDC study found. Sun's
JavaStation, and Hewlett-Packard's Envizex and Entria were ranked at second
and third places respectively.
"IBM, HP, and Sun have equal chances to 'set the standard' and move ahead
in market share in the Enterprise NC market," said Eileen O'Brien, director of
IDC's Enterprise Network Computers research program. "Future purchase plans of
NCs show them diffusing slowly through enterprises. This could change if NC
vendors take proactive steps to help users realize what an NC is and why they
need one."
IDC found the market is still confused over what an NC is and is not. In
fact, the original survey data had to be redone as 25 percent of the
interviewed sites thought they had an NC when they actually had a networked
PC. IDC believes NC vendors who want to capitalize on user migrations to
desktops other than PCs will need to develop strong marketing messages that
articulate and define NCs.
Highlights of additional key findings include the following:
-- Of the ninety-seven respondents that were using NCs, 73 percent
indicated those NCs had replaced PCs -- not terminals -- in their
organization.
-- The most significant reason cited for why organizations installed or
were planning to buy NCs was to reduce total cost of ownership or cost to use.
This was cited by 80 percent of respondents.
-- Of the ninety-seven respondents using NCs, 39 percent were using 100 or
more NCs. The overall means of NCs in use were 185 in small sites; 119 in
medium sites; and 535 in large sites.
-- Only 25 percent of the 270 respondents said that Java was a major
factor in their decision to purchase a network computer. Thirty-four percent
said it was a non-factor.
This report, End User Survey of Enterprise Network Computer Customer
Buying Patterns and Directions (IDC #B15338), provides the results of a survey
that investigated the initiatives vendors of Enterprise Network Computers must
address to support continued migration to this new class of desktop devices.
The study details the motives behind customer buying patterns, including top
perceived benefits of NCs such as reducing the cost of managing and
maintaining corporate desktops. It examines users' concerns including network
performance and potential network downtime. The report also enumerates
awareness of manufacturers and brands, future buying intentions, and usage of
NCs. It details what the purchase decision to buy an NC is weighted against:
PC, NetPC, or Traditional Terminals. It discusses the perceived value of Java
in implementing an NC purchase decision -- was it of great importance or not
important at all. Finally, the report outlines current Java plans underway
today and expected within the next two years.
This report is available for purchase by contacting Cheryl Toffel at 508-
935-4389 or at ctoffel@idcresearch.com. For additional information about IDC's
Enterprise Network Computers program, contact Beth Freedman at 508-935-4764 or
at bfreedman@idcresearch.com.
About IDC
Headquartered in Framingham, Mass., International Data Corporation
provides IT market research and consulting to more than 3,900 high-technology
customers around the world. With a global network of 375 analysts in more than
40 countries, IDC is the industry's most comprehensive resource on worldwide
IT markets, products, vendors, and geographies.
IDC/LINK, an IDC subsidiary, researches and analyzes the home computing
market, leading-edge technologies in telecommunications and new media, and the
convergence of computing and consumer electronics.
IDC's World Wide Web site (http://www.idc.com) contains additional company
information and recent news releases, and offers full-text searching of recent
research.
IDC is a division of International Data Group, the world's leading IT
media, research and exposition company.
All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks
of their respective holders.
SOURCE IDC
/CONTACT: Elizabeth Freedman, 508-935-4764, bfreedman@idcresearch.com, or
Eileen O'Brien, 508-935-4215, eobrien@idcresearch.com, both of IDC/
/Company News On-Call: prnewswire.com or fax, 800-758-5804,
ext. 113987/
/Web site: idc.com
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