Software : Network Infrastructure Mgmt

Of the six brands that constituted the Users' Choice Club last year, only

four made it to the club this year. While brands like Satyam and Computer

Associates lost out, others have strengthened their presence in the users'

minds. HP OpenView is the front runner in this segment, followed by IBM Tivoli,

Microsoft SMS Server and Avaya.

When asked the reason from the respondents who are the current owners of the

top two brands and also those who are planning to choose the top two brands, we

found an interesting swing in responses. 73% of the current HP OpenView owners

considered brand name while 76% cited initial price as primary factor in their

purchase decision. While in case of IBM Tivoli, 77% of the current brand owners

considered product reliability as primary factor, which was just 54% in case of

HP OpenView. 81% of respondents who were likely to move to IBM Tivoli said they

considered product reliability as primary factor for their purchase decision.

This shows that in the consumer mind space IBM Tivoli has better product

reliability. Initial price is considered as a stronger reason for likely future

purchase of OpenView than Tivoli. A similar trend presides for after sales

service and support.

Users' Choice Club 2010

Satyam, which was 4th, last year has missed out completely from the Club this year.

Future Brand Preference Reasons

IBM Tivoli is considered to have better reliability of product while HP OpenView is having better brand value.

Of the top two brands, HP OpenView has the strongest presence in discrete

manufacturing, Services, IT/ITeS, communication media and process manufacturing

industries. Whereas IBM Tivoli has strongest brand presence in BFSI, healthcare

and education sectors. Avaya, despite being weak in other sectors, was second

strongest after HP OpenView in communications media industry.

Brand Loyalty 2010 vs 2009

All brands have gained brand loyalty over last year, with IBM Tivoli enjoying the highest brand loyalty.

IBM Tivoli enjoyed the highest brand loyalty amongst its existing users at

86%, followed by HP OpenView, Avaya and MS SMS Server. It is Microsoft SMS

Server that faces a threat from Avaya and IBM Tivoli, because 14% each of its

current users are likely to shift to either of these brands.