Since 2002, the storage market worldwide has attracted a lot of attention due to the explosion of information. External disk storage and tape storage both have their own competitive edges and are suitable for different types of applications. Competition in the China storage market has also become very aggressive. Consequently, storage vendors now require more detailed information to segment the market by region and by vertical industry in order to plan their business strategies. IDC's China Quarterly Sub-Regional Storage Tracker aims to provide vendors with timely and critical market intelligence necessary to understand the China storage market and its competitive landscape.

This product covers the following segments of the storage market (external disk storage system, tape drive, and automation) in China:

• Geographic coverage: North China, East China, Central China, Northeast China, Northwest China, Southwest China, South China
• Vertical industry coverage: banking, finance (including securities and insurance), media and entertainment, telecommunications, utilities, petroleum, distribution, health, travel and transportation, government, education, manufacturing, and others

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

• Gigabytes shipments and value
• Competitive analysis
• Product and vendor strategies
• Channel strategies
• Market dynamics
• Market forecast and trends
• Market databook

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

1. What is the size of the storage (external disk storage and tape drive/library) market in each region and vertical industry?
2. What is the size of the storage (external disk storage and tape drive/library) market in each region?
3. What is the competitive position of each storage vendor in each vertical industry?
4. What is the competitive position of each storage vendor in each region?
5. What are the future trends of the storage market in terms of key vertical industries?

IDC's China Quarterly Sub-Regional Storage Tracker product examines how external disk storage vendors and tape drive/library vendors are positioning themselves to compete in the storage market. This product reviews strategies, market positioning, and future direction of several providers in the storage market including:

For external disk storage vendors: Dell, EMC, HDS, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Network Appliance, Proware, Raidsys, Lenovo, Langchao, Sun Microsystems, and others.

For tape drive/library vendors: ADIC, Dell, Exabyte, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Exabyte, StorageTek, Sun Microsystems, Tandberg, and others.

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

Total external disk storage system, tape drive/library market revenue, shipments, and share breakdown:

• By vendor
• By region
• By vertical Industry

• Preliminary data is delivered 60 days after the close of the quarter (Excel tables)
• Executive summary, which provides a summary of the quarter's key trends, competitive landscape, and market opportunities is delivered 75 days after the close of the quarter (PowerPoint Format)
• Final hardcopy binder is delivered 75 days after the close of the quarter. The binder contains detailed data tables and forecasts. A detailed market study will be provided that will highlight major happenings among the top vendors in each market. New products, promotions, and pricing actions are among the topics addressed.

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.