Weak High-End Demand Results in Worldwide External Disk Storage Systems Revenue Falling at Rates Not Seen Since 2009, According to IDC

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--()--Worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues fell -5.2% year over year to $5.6 billion during the first quarter of 2014 (1Q14), according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker. For the quarter, the total (internal plus external) disk storage systems market generated $7.3 billion in revenue, representing a decrease of -6.9% from the prior year's first quarter and a sequential decline of -17% compared to the seasonally stronger 4Q13. Total disk storage systems capacity shipped was 9.9 exabytes, growing just 19.9% year over year.

"The poor results of the first quarter were driven by several factors, the most important of which was a -25% decline in high-end storage spending," said Eric Sheppard, Research Director, IDC Storage. "Other important contributors to the market decline include the mainstream adoption of storage optimization technologies, a general trend towards keeping systems longer, economic uncertainty, and the ability of customers to address capacity needs on a micro and short-term basis through public cloud offerings."

1Q14 External Disk Storage Systems Results

EMC was the largest supplier, but experienced a year-over-year share loss during the quarter. The company captured 29.1% of the external disk storage revenue during the quarter, which was down from 30.2% the year prior. NetApp was the second largest supplier in the market with 15.1% share of external revenue (up from 14.8% in 1Q13). HP, IBM, and Hitachi finished the quarter in a statistical tie* for the third position with shares of 8.8%, 8.8% and 8.7% respectively. Dell was the sixth largest supplier of external storage, generating 7.3% of the revenue during the quarter.

Open Networked Disk Storage Systems Highlights

The total open networked disk storage market (NAS Combined with non-mainframe SAN) fell -3.9% year over year to $4.9 billion in revenue. EMC maintained its leadership in the total open networked storage market with 31.5% revenue share, but lost share compared to the 33.4% the company generated in 1Q13. NetApp was the second largest supplier with 17.3% share, followed by HP (8.9%), IBM (8.6%), and Hitachi (8.3%), all of whom tied* for third place.

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide External Disk Storage Systems Market, First Quarter of 2014

(Revenues are in Millions)

Vendor 1Q14 Revenue   1Q14 Market Share   1Q13 Revenue   1Q13 Market Share   1Q14/1Q13 Revenue Growth
1. EMC $1,640   29.1%   $1,798   30.2%   -8.8%
2. NetApp $854   15.1%   $879   14.8%   -2.8%
3. HP* $498   8.8%   $501   8.4%   -0.7%
3. IBM* $497   8.8%   $642   10.8%   -22.5%
3. Hitachi* $493   8.7%   $529   8.9%   -6.8%
Others $1,659   29.4%   $1,599   26.9%   3.7%
All Vendors $5,642   100.0%   $5,949   100.0%   -5.2%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker, June 5, 2014

* Note: IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide disk storage systems market when there is less than one percent difference in the revenue share of two or more vendors.

1Q14 Total Disk Storage Systems Market Results

In the total worldwide disk storage systems market, EMC finished in the top position followed by HP with market shares of 22.4% and 15.1% respectively.

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide Total Disk Storage Systems Market, First Quarter of 2014

(Revenues are in Millions)

Vendor 1Q14 Revenue   1Q14 Market Share   1Q13 Revenue   1Q13 Market Share   1Q14/1Q13 Revenue Growth
1. EMC $1,640   22.4%   $1,798   22.9%   -8.8%
2. HP $1,108   15.1%   $1,204   15.3%   -8.0%
3. Dell* $871   11.9%   $1,074   13.7%   -19.0%
3. NetApp* $854   11.7%   $879   11.2%   -2.8%
5. IBM $743   10.1%   $934   11.9%   -20.5%
Others $2,107   28.8%   $1,973   25.1%   6.8%
All Vendors $7,323   100.0%   $7,862   100.0%   -6.9%

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker, June 5, 2014

* Note: IDC declares a statistical tie in the worldwide disk storage systems market when there is less than one percent difference in the revenue share of two or more vendors.

In addition to the table above, an interactive graphic showing the worldwide market share of the top 5 total disk storage systems vendors over the previous five quarters is available here. Instructions on how to embed this graphic into online news articles and social media can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com.

Taxonomy Notes:

IDC defines a Disk Storage System as a set of storage elements, including controllers, cables, and (in some instances) host bus adapters, associated with three or more disks. A system may be located outside of or within a server cabinet and the average cost of the disk storage systems does not include infrastructure storage hardware (i.e. switches) and non-bundled storage software.

The information in this quantitative study is based on a branded view of the disk storage systems sale. Revenue associated with the products to the end user is attributed to the seller (brand) of the product, not the manufacturer. Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sales are not included in this study. In this study, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) sales do not reflect their OEM sales to Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard.

IDC's Worldwide Disk Storage Systems Quarterly Tracker is a quantitative tool for analyzing the global disk storage market on a quarterly basis. The Tracker includes quarterly shipments and revenues (both customer and factory), Terabytes, $/Gigabyte, Gigabyte/Unit, and Average Selling Value. Each criteria can be segmented by location, installation base, operating system, vendor, family, model, and region.

For more information about IDC's Worldwide Disk Storage Systems Quarterly Tracker, please contact Lidice Fernandez at 305-351-3051 or lfernandez@idc.com.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. IDC helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based decisions on technology purchases and business strategy. More than 1,000 IDC analysts provide global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. In 2014, IDC celebrates its 50th anniversary of providing strategic insights to help clients achieve their key business objectives. IDC is a subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research, and events company. You can learn more about IDC by visiting www.idc.com.

All product and company names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Contacts

IDC
Eric Sheppard, 508-988-7925
esheppard@idc.com
or
Michael Shirer, 508-935-4200
press@idc.com

Release Summary

Worldwide external disk storage systems revenues fell -5.2% year over year to $5.6 billion during the first quarter of 2014, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker.

Contacts

IDC
Eric Sheppard, 508-988-7925
esheppard@idc.com
or
Michael Shirer, 508-935-4200
press@idc.com