In Jim's 2008 edition of the "Handbook of Application Delivery" (available for download here), virtualization was addressed as a meaningful trend, but, within the scope of the 140-plus page book, it was not a major theme.

We see a major change in this aspect for the 2009 handbook, as all types of virtualization, from server virtualization to desktop virtualization to storage virtualization are becoming more vital within the enterprise. In particular, Jim, through the Webtorials Editorial/Analyst Division, is currently conducting research on the extent to which virtualization has made its way into your networks.

This research includes questions like “By the end of the next year, how much deployment will your organization have made of desktop, server and storage virtualization?” and “If you already have, or soon will be implementing server virtualization, what is your level of comfort that you have the tools you need for change and configuration management of those virtualized servers?”

Other areas that will be significantly updated for the 2009 edition include Wan Optimization Controllers (WOC), “soft WOCs” (implementing WOC software on standard PCs and servers), Application Delivery Controllers (ADC), and automating network management functions.

Some extremely preliminary results from the research thus far indicate some possible trend, but it’s too soon to tell for sure. For instance, it seems that deployment of WOCs and ADCs is still at a very early phase for most companies. Also, it’s still much too close to call on the extent to which network outages are caused by ineffective configuration change and management.

There’s one way to find out about these issues really soon rather than waiting another six months for the 2009 edition of the handbook to be released. Participate in the study, and you’ll be able to get a copy of the preliminary results as soon as they are available.

Check out Network World's Buyer's Guides to compare Storage Virtualization products.

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. Jim Metzler is vice president of Ashton, Metzler & Associates.