ZapThink: XML Inefficiency Choking Networks

Market for High Performance and Appliance Approaches for XML to reach $1.2 Billion by 2010

WALTHAM, MA, November 16, 2004 — The rapid adoption of XML and Web Services has a significant downside. As network traffic based on XML increases, IT data center administrators and developers are quickly realizing that the operational inefficiencies of XML are bogging down their general-purpose hardware and software, according to ZapThink’s latest report, “High Performance and Appliance Approaches for XML.” Increased requirements for advanced security, reliability, and scalability can put an overwhelming burden on existing network infrastructure that is already stretched to the limit handling basic XML processing tasks. As a result, customers are increasingly demanding a new class of appliance and optimized software solutions to handle their XML processing needs.

“Network traffic increases due to the increasing quantity and size of messages, both XML and non-XML based, will tax existing corporate IT infrastructure to its limit,” said Ronald Schmelzer, senior analyst with ZapThink, LLC. “Network administrators find they must devote general-purpose application servers, network equipment, and messaging infrastructure to simple message parsing, handling, and routing functions, while precious few resources remain for executing core business logic. Only optimized approaches to handling XML—whether they be hardware, software, or a combination of both—will alleviate the problems companies face as the application of XML explodes across their organizations.”

This report examines the growth of XML traffic on the network and explores emerging customer purchasing behaviors, ranging from the growing desire to purchase dedicated network appliances to an emerging market for embeddable and OEM-able technologies that chip manufacturers and software vendors provide. The report also addresses one of the critical roadblocks to widespread adoption of the technologies mentioned in this report: the lack of understanding by developers, architects, and network administrators about the best way to handle the exploding quantity of XML traffic on their network.

Other key findings of the report include: