appliances are still a big market for really large companies with money to spend.
it's kind of a dream for these kinds of clients; the only thing you're responsible for is "plugging" it in. the vendor owns everything else (and gives you access to very little of it!). this is also great for the vendor because they can sell what essentially amounts to a server that does all of the magic at a ridiculous markup without much regard to the quality of the software underneath (unfortunately)
i cracked open a vendor appliance a few years ago. it was very much like opening an abandoned closet that's been untouched for 50 years. not pretty.
it's kind of a dream for these kinds of clients; the only thing you're responsible for is "plugging" it in. the vendor owns everything else (and gives you access to very little of it!). this is also great for the vendor because they can sell what essentially amounts to a server that does all of the magic at a ridiculous markup without much regard to the quality of the software underneath (unfortunately)
i cracked open a vendor appliance a few years ago. it was very much like opening an abandoned closet that's been untouched for 50 years. not pretty.