MANAGED SERVICES cloud
When further analysis is undertaken it is clear from the findings of the research that it is the private sector leading the way still at 56 per cent adoption (up 3 points) however, public sector has shown the more dramatic increase gaining
11 points to 49 per cent!
Interestingly it would also appear from the figures that size of organisation is far less an indicator of current adoption as it was at the beginning of the year as all primary groupings showed equivalent rates of adoption at around 53 per cent, reinforcing the fact that cloud services are a leveller for enabling IT adoption and efficiency in organisations of every size and status. In real terms we have seen cloud adoption by business under 20 employees and public sector, increase adoption by a similar level over the last 10 months, outstripping the growth of mid to large organisations by a factor of 4. The survey findings also indicate that the decision to migrate to the cloud is predominantly taken by the head of IT, with 67 per cent of respondents, compared to just a quarter who said it was still the responsibility of CEOs / MDs.
Defining the organisational environment is critical to further understanding. The research highlighted that the majority of organisations already operate an on-premise server room or data centre and as such are usually invested in on-premise IT when they make a cloud service decision. In terms of levels of connectivity, 18 per cent of the sample used standard broadband packages, 42 per cent used business ADSL and 37 per cent used MPLS and the balance of 13 per cent used private networks, fibre or were unsure.
Primary drivers
According to the research the overwhelming reason given for initially adopting cloud based services is the flexibility that it brings to the organisation. This was identified by 46 per cent of respondents of the entire sample. Next, but considerably behind in importance, was cost savings at 17 per cent and then low cost of adoption at 14 per cent.
When looked at in detail the findings clearly highlight that it is organisations with under 20 employees that place the greatest value on flexibility (54 per cent) as they seek to compete in the wider market with limited technical resources in-house. In those organisations of between 20 and 200 it was mentioned in the majority of responses (46
per cent). And even in the large enterprises flexibility was seen as the primary reason for adoption in 38 per cent of those questioned.
Coupled with the more rapid recent adoption in the SMB sector (as opposed to the larger organisations - which historically have been the first to ride the wave of technological innovation) this research reinforces expectations that cloud is a disruptive technology, enabling businesses to access leading capabilities at an affordable cost and therefore to adapt and compete more successfully in a changing market.
Arguably one of the more interesting statistics is that there is very little separating public and private sector organisations. In both cases flexibility came out as the number one reason for the adoption of cloud services (public:private – 48 per cent:43 per cent).
Whilst the marketing of the industry continues to focus on the cost savings afforded by cloud solutions the research proves again that initial adoption is usually driven by non-financial activity where the organisation values the flexible attribute of a cloud service over on- premise solutions. That said, financial benefits are being achieved and do drive further adoption from companies already using the cloud, but it is the agility given to businesses to deliver new services; access technology quickly; and, to offer solutions that they did not already have that has driven initial adoption.
Cost savings grew by 1 per cent point to 17 per cent since the last research, validating that benefits are real as more companies were surveyed this time that were further investing in cloud solutions. Low cost of adoption was cited by 14 per cent as the primary driver for using cloud services, 7 per cent cited lack of in house skills and 5 per cent cited the launch of a new service as the key driver.
So what conclusion can we draw from this? The evidence indicates that the cloud is affording businesses both large and small, public and private, the flexibility they need to adapt to the ever changing business climate. This is the principal hook for early adopters. The fact that cost savings can and usually do materialise over time is a secondary benefit.
In regard to solutions being adopted as cloud services the research identified three core themes:
IT infrastructure from smallest to largest.
ENCLOSURES POWER DISTRIBUTION CLIMATE CONTROL 24
www.dcsuk.info I February 2012
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