How the App Landscape Is Changing in the Cloud Age
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Top Two Areas of Application Investment
Mobile-device management apps (47%) topped the list of categories respondents said they are considering or planning to purchase. Business analytics/big data apps came in second (43%). -
Other Key App Investments
A significant percentage of respondents are considering or planning investments in database/master data management apps and marketing/sales apps, both at 41%. -
Top Areas Where Cloud Is Being Used
52% have deployed mobile-device management in the cloud. The next top two areas are CRM/contact centers (49%) and business analytics/big data (42%). -
Less Use of the Cloud
A smaller percentage of respondents is leveraging the cloud for finance apps (22%), governance/risk management (27%) and database/master data management (29%). -
Critical Application Features
Regardless of whether an app is deployed on-premise or in the cloud, ease of use, customer service, implementation, security and integration are the leading concerns. -
Making the Decision
70% of line-of-business (LOB) professionals said they are very close to making a purchasing decision before contacting the vendor; 55% of IT pros said the same. -
The Ultimate Decision Maker
While both LOB and IT professionals prefer a free trial, 80% of LOB pros said the final purchase decisions rest with them, versus 55% of IT pros claiming the same. -
Application Vendor Landscape
Microsoft, Oracle and IBM are the most widely used providers, but in terms of consideration for future purchases, Salesforce, Oracle and IBM lead the way. -
Top Information Resources
Peers, technology content sites and vendor Websites were cited as the top three by both IT and LOB pros.
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Defining MSPs' Goals, Challenges and Tools 
Why Metrics Matter to the Channel Mobile-device management and business analytics/big data applications—followed by database/master data management and marketing/sales apps—are the biggest technology priorities, according to the findings of a survey conducted by QuinStreet Enterprise, publisher of Channel Insider. Despite a definite shift to deploying these classes of software in the cloud, database/master data management apps, along with governance/risk management and finance apps, are less likely to be deployed in the cloud. "Many IT professionals have been reluctant to move mission-critical applications and their often-sensitive data to the cloud because of concerns around security, privacy and the control of the data," the study said. When it comes to the cloud, solution providers across the channel must pick their spots carefully. Although much more software will be running in the cloud in the years ahead, much of that software will have to be integrated with other software that will be running on-premise—which means the future of enterprise IT will be in the hybrid cloud. Here are key takeaways from the study in which 314 IT and business professionals participated. There was also a Google+ editorial hangout on enterprise apps.