DSS Software (Global)

2024: Global Storage Software Sales Reach $28.3 Billion Year-End

At the end of 2024, the global storage software market (DSS) reached $28.3 billion. The North American region accounted for almost 40% of global costs. This is stated in a study by IMARC Group, the results of which TAdviser got acquainted with in early August 2025.

One of the main drivers of the analytics industry is the digitalization of various sectors of the economy. This transformation is accompanied by the migration of workloads to the cloud and the rapid growth of information generated. As a result, organizations are increasingly reliant on cloud-based storage and storage platforms (SDS) to improve adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and performance.

The market development is facilitated by the rapid introduction of artificial intelligence and the expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure. Generative services, all kinds of IoT sensors and devices connected to the network create huge amounts of information that require additional resources to store and analyze. Remote work and virtual collaboration of geographically distributed teams create additional demand for cloud storage and secure data management tools. All this contributes to the increase in sales of specialized DSS software.

Using AI makes it possible to automate a number of major processes, such as data migration, predictive maintenance, and tiered storage. AI-based systems are capable of processing gigantic datasets in real time, allowing resources to be dynamically allocated based on workload or changing user requests. Automation reduces the need for manual operations, which reduces costs and minimizes human error. AI-based platforms allow you to optimize storage space by identifying redundant data - this increases cost-effectiveness. In addition, machine learning models can predict future storage needs and reallocate resources accordingly, ensuring uninterrupted service operation.

Analysts note that against the backdrop of a worsening cybersecurity situation, storage software products are overgrown with more complex security features, including end-to-end encryption, multifactorial authentication and access control.

In 2024, it is estimated that software defined storages occupied the largest market share - 63%. The BFSI (Banking, Financial Services and Insurance) sector dominated the DSS software application with 30.2%. Geographically, North America leads, accounting for 37.5% of sales. Cloud storage solutions are widely adopted for their scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. More companies are choosing cloud deployment to reduce infrastructure costs and simplify data management. Globally, significant industry players are named:

• Broadcom;
• Citrix Systems;
• Dell Technologies;
• Fujitsu;
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development;
• Hitachi Vantara;
• Huawei Technologies;
• IBM;
• NetApp;
• Oracle;
• Western Digital.

Analysts of IMARC Group believe that in the future, the CAGR in the market under consideration will be 6.82%. Thus, by 2033, costs may increase to $51.2 billion.^[1]

2020: Corporate Data Archiving Market Leaders Named

In November 2020, Gartner released a magic quadrant (research) in Enterprise Information Archiving (EIA) software. Analysts named the leaders of this market: Microsoft, ZL Tech, Global Relay, Proofpoint, and Mimecast.

Quadrant leader products are the most multifunctional and scalable, the researchers said. In addition, leading companies have stable financial performance and a stable market position. These are companies with clearly stated plans to produce a wide range of easy-to-use and easily scalable products.

Magic Quadrant in Enterprise Data Archiving Software

In addition, the vendors involved in the study produce their own migration tools to help their customers move faster to new data archiving platforms without relying on third-party involvement.

Speaking about Microsoft, experts noted that in recent years, the corporation has significantly increased investments in creating risk management solutions and tools for compliance, as well as for archiving and managing information both within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and beyond. All of these tools help organizations function in the face of ever-increasing data and changing regulatory demands to manage this information. Microsoft was among the leaders in EIA solutions in 2018 and 2019.

At the same time, analysts noted a number of shortcomings of Microsoft products. One is because the company offers customers many options when choosing apps and pricing, potentially leading to confusion and unnecessary costs. In addition, the researchers pointed out the difficulties in transferring competing archives to Microsoft 365.^[2]

2012

According to analysts at IDC, the total storage capacity in the world from 2012 to 2017 will increase from 2,596 to 7,235 exabytes.

Q1

The global software storage market in the first quarter of 2012 grew in annual terms by 3.3% to $3.5 billion, according^[3] according to^[3] IDC While the market has maintained healthy demand ON for data storage, market growth indicators have dropped to such a low level, which was last recorded by analysts in the crisis year 2009.

The largest storage vendors as of the first quarter of 2012 were EMC, IBM, and Symantec, whose market shares were 24%, 15.7%, and 14.8%, respectively. At the same time, CommVault and IBM showed the maximum organic growth for the year - 26.2% and 18.4%, respectively. HP's acquisition of Autonomy allowed the latter, however, to show an even higher increase - by 72.6% in annual terms.

Among the subsegments of the market in the first quarter of 2012, the maximum increase was shown by the segments of data protection and recovery, as well as software for archiving (growth rates for the year - 5.5% and 5%), respectively. The volume of these segments amounted to $1.25 billion and $411 billion, respectively.

Companies with a total of more than 1000 employees were the most active consumers of data storage software: in the quarter, they spent $1.6 billion on such systems. However, growth in this segment for the year turned out to be small - only 0.4%, as well as the public sector and the education sector for the year increased costs for this expenditure item only by 1.2%. In the SMB segment (medium and small businesses), supplier sales increased the most - by 8.8% compared to the first quarter of 2011.

2011

Q3

Global revenues from storage software in the third quarter of 2011 reached $3.5 billion, an increase of 9.7% compared to the same period in 2010. According to IDC market research, this quarter is the second largest revenue generated by market participants within nine years.

Six of the seven functional markets covered by IDC's Worldwide Storage Software Qview survey have seen revenue growth year-over-year. Four markets saw double-digit gains during the quarter.

Data archiving software and storage and device management software experienced a strong rise in demand compared to the same period in 2010, at 12.2% and 11.3%, respectively. Data protection and recovery software revenues accounted for 34.9% of the total volume in the third quarter of 2011 and again contributed the most to additional revenues compared to the third quarter of last year.

EMC, Symantec IBM and topped the storage software vendor rankings with market shares of 24.5%, 15.3%, and 14.0%, respectively. All storage software vendors included in the QView review received revenue growth year-over-year. The most powerful increase in profitability in the third quarter of 2011, compared to the same period last year, was recorded - HP up to 38.2%, mainly due to the acquisition of the company. 3PAR

According to Eric Sheppard, director of storage software research at IDC, the demand for storage software remains near all historical highs. "The market has left the recent product update phase, but sales continue to grow at an impressive pace as users and suppliers combine to improve the software utilization by companies, manage and protect the most valuable corporate data and storage resources," the analyst emphasized.

TOP 5 manufacturers, global revenues from the sale of data storage software and market share, the third quarter of 2011 (revenue in million dollars)

Source: IDC Worldwide Quarterly Storage Software Qview, December 2011

Notes