Cisco Cisco Intelligent Automation for Cloud 4.3.1 White Paper
For InFrastructure & operatIons proFessIonals
the Forrester Wave™: private cloud solutions, Q4 2013
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© 2013, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited
November 25, 2013
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Strategy survey. To ensure that the same core information was collected from each vendor,
vendors also had to complete a 10-question strategy survey.
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Customer reference calls. To validate product and vendor qualifications, Forrester also
conducted reference calls with three of each vendor’s current customers.
The Forrester wave Methodology
We conduct primary research to develop a list of vendors that meet our criteria to be evaluated
in this market. From that initial pool of vendors, we then narrow our final list. We choose these
vendors based on: 1) product fit; 2) customer success; and 3) Forrester client demand. We eliminate
vendors that have limited customer references and products that don’t fit the scope of our evaluation.
After examining past research, user need assessments, and vendor and expert interviews, we develop
the initial evaluation criteria. To evaluate the vendors and their products against our set of criteria, we
gather details of product qualifications through a combination of lab evaluations, questionnaires,
demos, and/or discussions with client references. We send evaluations to the vendors for their review,
and we adjust the evaluations to provide the most accurate view of vendor offerings and strategies.
We set default weightings to reflect our analysis of the needs of large user companies — and/or
other scenarios as outlined in the Forrester Wave document — and then score the vendors based
on a clearly defined scale. These default weightings are intended only as a starting point, and we
encourage readers to adapt the weightings to fit their individual needs through the Excel-based
tool. The final scores generate the graphical depiction of the market based on current offering,
strategy, and market presence. Forrester intends to update vendor evaluations regularly as product
capabilities and vendor strategies evolve. For more information on the methodology that every
Forrester Wave follows, go to http://www.forrester.com/marketing/policies/forrester-wave-
methodology.html.
Integrity Policy
All of Forrester’s research, including Forrester Waves, is conducted according to our integrity policy.
For more information, go to http://www.forrester.com/marketing/policies/integrity-policy.html.
eNdNOTes
1
Internal private cloud adoption among North American and European enterprise decision-makers. Source:
Forrsights Hardware Survey, Q3 2011, Q3 2012, and Q3 2013.
2
When Forrester surveyed North American and European enterprise hardware decision-makers about
its top priorities over the next 12 months, 55% responded that building an internal private cloud was a