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www.dcseurope.info Security and SLAs - leading barriers to Cloud
INTERXION HOLDING NV has announced the results of its cloud computing survey, which found that 45% of European IT decision makers view a lack of security and service level agreements (SLAs) as top concerns for moving to the cloud. Created with service providers (SPs) and system integrators (SIs) in mind – two of the key groups supporting companies’ transition to the cloud – the survey results aim to provide a clear understanding of how organisations are using the cloud today and plan to be using the cloud tomorrow.
The perceived challenges of moving to the cloud also include apprehension of being locked into a specific infrastructure vendor, as cited by 40% of respondents. Under the umbrella of security concerns, preventing data loss was stated as the main fear overall, with 71% of respondents identifying it as one of their top three security concerns.
However, preventing outages, rated second with 64%, and was cited most often as the top issue due to the severe impact outages can have on business processes and bottom line performance.
Despite the concerns of deploying to the cloud, the survey found that 69% of European IT decision makers believe the cloud is a priority today. Large companies
Encouraging results surrounding the future of the cloud come from nearly half of the respondents, who expect that more than 50% of their IT will be delivered from the cloud within the next two years, with 23% citing more than 75% of their IT expected to be housed in the cloud.
led the charge with 71% believing it’s a priority, with small and medium companies close behind at 68% and 67% respectively. Moreover, 75% of the companies either currently use or plan to use cloud computing within the next two years, showing significant growth potential for the industry.
“Though companies have been transitioning to the cloud for some time now, there are still perceived obstacles that need to be addressed before many companies discover the cloud’s full potential,” said Vincent in’t Veld, Director Cloud Segment, Interxion.
“Interxion’s goal is to help companies realise the benefits of cloud computing, including its security, flexibility, agility and cost savings potential. The findings show how essential it is for companies like Interxion to mitigate potential fears of organisations that have plans to move to the cloud in the future.”
SMBs virtualisation adoption to outpace enterprise take-up
ACCORDING to research from Acronis, small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) around the world are planning to adopt server virtualisation in 2012 at a faster pace than large enterprises. However, the survey also identified widespread backup and disaster recovery shortcomings for virtual servers amongst SMBs. Meanwhile, previous enthusiasm for cloud infrastructure has, at least so far, failed to turn into reality.
IT managers at 6,000 SMBs in 18 countries were surveyed for the Acronis Global Disaster Recovery Index 2012. They predict that 29% of their servers will be virtualised by the end of the year, a growth rate of 21%. This is 50% higher than the pace identified in a recent Gartner report that predicted virtualisation adoption by enterprises is to increase by 14% over the same period.
Commenting on the findings, David Blackman, general manager, Northern Europe and MEA at Acronis said: “Virtualisation has become more affordable and relatively easy for SMBs - the high growth rate of adoption should not be a surprise. However, as protecting data is one of the most fundamental requirements for any business today, it’s
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www.dcseurope.info I March 2012
particularly disappointing that VMs get such poor treatment. Some businesses are potentially playing Russian roulette with their virtual backups and, if their luck runs out, will face very real and potentially very messy consequences.”
Additionally, an overwhelming 90% of those planning to deploy a private cloud said that they are likely or very likely to choose a hosted solution rather than buying their own hardware, signifying the opportunity for SPs and SIs to meet the demand for these services.
Confirming that the cloud is already fully engrained in today’s business landscape and has lasting power for the future, the survey gives SPs and SIs valuable insight for delivering value to their current cloud-based customers, emphasising the need to address the security and SLA concerns of potential future customers. One way to alleviate the barriers to entry is by allowing organisations to test the cloud before fully transitioning.
Interxion’s Cloud Testlab enables cloud hosting providers and SIs to do just that by developing cloud services and virtualised environments for customers with best-in- class performance guarantees before fully deploying them in the cloud.
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