This document summarizes a report on the state of application experience (AX) in 2019. It includes insights from analysts at Forrester, 451 Research, Enterprise Management Associates, Doyle Research, and ZK Research on topics like: - Hardware load balancers still dominate but software load balancers are growing in cloud environments - Load balancers are critical for maintaining a good user experience and ideal for security services - Managing applications across cloud and on-premises environments is a challenge for organizations - Future needs include multi-cloud load balancing, speed/agility, and pay-per-use models

1. State of Application
Experience [AX]
2019 Report
@KempTech@zkerravala @forrester

2. Research Partners

3. Zeus Kerravala
Founder and Principal Analyst with ZK Research
ZK Research and Kemp posts:
Load Balancer Industry Research and Analysis
Kemp Recharges Brand, Bolstering Automation and
Predictive Analytics to Propel Enterprise App
Experience (AX)
@zkerravala

4. Forrester is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world
Unique insights are grounded in annual surveys of more than 675,000 consumers and
business leaders worldwide, rigorous and objective methodologies, and the shared
wisdom of our most innovative client
Through proprietary research, analytics, custom consulting, exclusive executive peer
groups, learning offerings, and events
The Forrester experience is about a singular and powerful purpose: to challenge the
thinking of our clients to help them lead change in their organizations
Forrester Consulting

5. Where is IT in the cloud today?

6. Hardware load balancers still reign
Load balancers are seen as the ideal
location for applications security services
Load balancers are viewed as a
fundamental way to maintaining the best
application experience

7. Applications will be managed in the
cloud and on-premises

8. Organizations will manage cloud-native
applications & traditional applications in
the cloud

9. Hardware load balancers still reign but only
software load balancers can grow in the cloud

10. Organizations view load balancers as
fundamental to maintaining the best
application experience

11. Load balancers are seen as the ideal
location for application security services

12. Application Experience, which focuses on
outcomes, will resonate with customers that want
to provide value to the business through the
application of technology, and opens the door to
talk about more then just load balancing - AX is
about the entirety of the experience, including
performance, reliability, consistency and security
capabilities"
Mike Fratto, Senior Analyst, Applied
Infrastructure and DevOps, 451 Research
“

13. Key Concerns and Challenges

14. Difficulty integrating and managing
across third-party cloud environments66%

15. 57% Siloed management brings latency in
application experience

16. Inability to cater to unique needs
57%

17. 41% Lack of skill

18. ADC functionality has evolved to meet the
challenges of the multi-cloud world. ADC features
now can be flexibly delivered where and when
they are needed. Application delivery resources
are right-sized for the workload and can be
dynamically adjusted to meet changing
demands. (e.g. seasonal variations). Per-
application or per-workload ADC deployment
means that each environment can be scripted,
automated and secured in a customized manner
for optimal operationally efficiency.”
Lee Doyle, Doyle Research

19. What do IT teams need in the future?

20. What do IT teams need in the Future
67% of respondents say that multicloud is bringing better capabilities in
their load balancing and application experience
91% of enterprises say speed and agility in load balancing and
deployment of applications is important or critical.
40% of enterprises say that they would prefer pay-per-use load balancing
as a consumption model

21. Enterprise Management Associates research has
found that enterprises are increasingly deploying
hybrid cloud and multi-cloud architectures to
support digital initiatives and IT transformation.
35 percent of network managers say public cloud
initiatives are a major driver of their decision-
making today, and another 35 percent say private
cloud initiatives are a major driver. In addition,
the average enterprise claims that 45 percent of
its network traffic is attributable to public cloud
applications.”
Shamus McGillicuddy, Research Director, EMA
“

22. Customer Satisfaction

23. We are satisfied
and will not
change ADC
vendors
We are open to
other ADC vendors,
but might stay with
the incumbent
We will definitely
select a new ADC
vendor
34% 59% 7%

24. 50% would consider trying a different load balancer vendor
25% would switch entirely who identified as cloud native and larger
enterprises
Traditional and cloud-native applications will continue to be
managed in cloud and on-premises environments for the next few
years
The shift from hardware to cloud and software load balancers is
gradual

25. The challenge for IT is to efficiently
manage this diversity of applications
across each unique cloud environment,
while continuing to provide application
development and DevOps team with the
necessary autonomy to keep the business
growing"
Lee Doyle, Doyle Research
“

26. Download your complimentary
State of AX Report