Increasingly complex network and service delivery infrastructures play an important role in helping enterprises and service providers maintain and improve profitability. As IT continues to shape this highly competitive world, vendors and users are faced with many high-risk decisions concerning network and service management. IDC's Network and Service Management research provides business and IT professionals with the insight and intelligence necessary to support their business strategies, core management processes, and operations.

This service covers the following segments of the worldwide network and service management market:

• Network management software
• Network configuration management
• VoIP management
• WAN optimization management
• WLAN management
• Network test measurement

Throughout the year, this service will address the following topics:

• Event management
• Service management
• Operations management/processes
• Service-level management
• IT and business alignment
• Product implementation issues
• Best practices
• User purchase decisions
• Network management strategies

Our research addresses the following issues that are critical to your success:

1. Will current leading vendors remain at the top?
2. How will network and service management solutions adjust to business processes and an increasingly dynamic infrastructure environment?
3. What impact will new technologies have on network and service management markets?
4. What strategies will users adopt for effective network and service management solutions?
5. How will organizations evaluate and implement network and service management solutions?
6. What are the most critical management processes and practices for aligning IT and business services?

IDC's Network and Service Management research examines how network management, service-level monitoring, and network test vendors are positioning themselves to compete in the enterprise network and management market. This service reviews the strategies, market positioning, and future direction of several providers in the network and service management market, including:

Agilent, Alcatel-Lucent, AlterPoint, Anritsu, Avaya, BlueCat, BMC Software, Brix Networks, CA, Cisco Systems, Compuware, EMC, Empirix, Fluke Networks, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM/Tivoli, InfoBlox, InfoVista, Integrated Research, Intelliden, Ipswitch, Ixia, Juniper, Keynote, Microsoft, NetScout, Network General, Network Instruments, Network Physics, Niksun, Nokia, Nominum, Nortel, Opnet, Opsware, Orbital Data, PacketDesign, Packeteer, ProactiveNet, Proxima, Quest Software, Siemens, Singlestep, SolarWinds, Spirent, Sun Microsystems, Tektronix, Tollgrade, Tripwire, Visionael, Voyence, and Wild Packets.

Throughout the year, this service will offer insight into the latest trends impacting the market. Potential studies include:

This study sizes and forecasts the market with a comprehensive examination of major network and service management market segments.

Classic network management markets, including fault, performance, and service-level management, are discussed in this forecast and analysis document. The size and scope of the market opportunity for network availability and its submarkets are discussed and segmented by target market and region.

This study examines the market size, forecast, and share for network configuration products that identify, arrange, and classify network resources for optimized network service delivery.

This study discusses the market leaders, opportunities, and challenges unique to the network test and measurement market. It includes an assessment of the overall market size, opportunity, and trends.

This study analyzes the network management approaches to VoIP infrastructure. Structural, technological, and functional topics are examined.

IDC offers a complete market intelligence solution customized to meet your business requirements. The array of products and services available to you includes:

• The opportunity to have your specific questions answered through personal interaction with industry experts who cover the topics and markets in your service
• Around-the-clock access to our market intelligence on idc.com, IDC's personalized Web experience
• A view of the market's future with 12 months of continuous intelligence about its direction and the reasons behind it, along with actionable advice for taking advantage of existing and emerging opportunities
• Special client discount pricing on purchases of research from other services
• Complimentary admission to IDC's annual Directions conference, where you'll hear our latest forecasts and network with IDC analysts and other industry professionals
• Complimentary invitations to monthly executive telebriefings, interactive forums designed to provide you with insights about research and strategies directly from IDC analysts

To find out how our flexible packaging options can meet your specific business needs, please contact your IDC sales executive.

As a privately held company, IDC believes that our customers are our primary constituency. A large percentage of every revenue dollar is reinvested back into our products, including more analysts, more geographic coverage, and extensive primary research.

Our steady growth over the past 10 years reflects our commitment to investing in our customers.