Cloud
How the Cloud Is Advancing From ‘Rookie’ to MVP
IT pros and execs clearly see the cloud’s value. Here are 15 reasons the cloud is progressing from ‘promising rookie’ to Most Valuable Player.
The Cloud Is the Future of IT
86% of respondents believe that cloud computing is the future of IT.
Safety in Numbers
When faced with physical disasters, eight in 10 respondents believe their organizations’ data is safer in the cloud than on premises. Six in 10 believe the same when facing a malicious attack.
Cloud Believers
Seven in 10 consider themselves cloud believers while two in 10 are unconvinced; however, 11% don’t have enough information about the cloud.
Knowledge Misalignment
More than two in 10 (22%) indicate that on-staff knowledge was a barrier to migrating services. Yet 60% said their staff could “implement a cloud strategy independently.”
Number of Cloud Deployments
91% have deployed at least one service in the cloud. On average, organizations have 4.1 services in the cloud, an increase from 2.7 services in 2014.
Services Deployed in the Cloud
The top services respondents expect to deploy in the cloud in the next three years include servers/data centers (22.5%), phone systems (21.5%), disaster recovery (21%), finance and ERP (18.5%). Microsoft Exchange and Office were also on the list.
Moving to the Cloud
60% said they could move to the cloud themselves. Of those that already-migrated services, 53% handled the process internally, compared with 11% in 2014, while 47% used a third party.
Starting Over
50% of organizations that deployed a cloud solution on their own would outsource the deployment if they could start again.
Third-Party Sources
For those that used a third party, 40% worked directly with a cloud services provider while 37% used a consultant/VAR and 14% worked with a data center/infrastructure provider.
Single Provider Rules
Five in 10 respondents would prefer to rely on a single cloud provider versus a unique provider for each service.
Biggest Benefits
Of those with services in the cloud, scalability (81.5%), flexibility (75%) and lower total cost of ownership (72%) were cited as the top-three expected benefits of moving to the cloud.
Matching Expectations and Reality
For the first time in the three years the survey has run, the top three expected and realized benefits were in sync. Scalability is realized by 64% of respondents, followed by flexibility (62%) and lower total cost of ownership (about 50%).
Top Barriers
55% of respondents cited security as the top concern/barrier in moving to the cloud, unchanged since 2013. Compliance concerns grew to 40% in 2015, up from 31% in 2014.
Cloud Budgets
50.5% said their cloud budgets increased in 2015, and five in 10 respondents expect their budgets for the cloud to increase again in 2016.
Provider Selection
Reliability (91%), price (79.5%) and customer service (62%) were key criteria in selecting a cloud provider.