In a recent survey by CDW, 1242 CIOs were queried on their position on cloud activities. It explored what drives the shift to the cloud, what types of applications organizations are taking to the cloud and what benefits (beyond cost savings) they are achieving. Wasabi Roll thought that the findings were quite interesting, for they do dispel recent assertions that due to the nominal savings, the cloud is more a style decision rather than and economic one. The following highlights the survey’s findings:
Unlike traditional IT decisions, cloud is increasingly considered
a business decision, not a technology selection
46% of cloud users* agree that non-IT senior management is
more involved in the cloud decision than in other IT decisions
Oh and by the way...
- 58% of cloud users* say the decision making process took longer than they expected
- 46% say by more than three months****
Economics of it all...
The characteristics of cloud
are that it is on-demand and metered, with IT running more and more like a
business from capital investment to an operating expenses model
37% say that senior management is
pushing IT to move spending
Cost factors also weigh heavily in the decision to move to
the cloud; the equation is complex yet sometimes incomplete
Naysayer Weigh In...
Security once dominated, but cloud service performance and other
issues are emerging as concerns that slow adoption:
46% Noted concerns with security of proprietary data and
applications
32% Noted concerns with performance
25% Noted concerns with technical integration with
applications or legacy systems
The Mercury is Rising
The trend is upward: 39% of organizations are implementing or
maintaining a cloud solution, up from 28% in 2011
What Services Are good To Go?
Ok, trending is showing that not only is the cloud here to
stay, but is growing in popularity. With
more than half of those surveyed showing a plan or actually migrating to the
cloud, what services are they choosing to move to the cloud?
Savings? Ok How Much?
Here is where the rubber meets the road, the actual expected
savings forecasts by the participants.
When asked, “What percentage of your organization’s IT budget do you
currently “save” or “expect to save” using the cloud resources and
applications?
However, beyond the cost benefit, cloud users say increase
efficiency, mobility, and innovation are additional benefits.
Word to the Wise...
CDW Identified Key considerations
for cloud
- Tap a cross-section of your stakeholders for a thoughtful analysis of benefits and costs, and then select a cloud strategy consistent with your IT service fulfillment model
- Launch first with services that don’t pose unacceptable risks to your organization, aren’t business critical and where complexity of implementation is low – e.g., storage, UC, office productivity
- Leverage your users’ consumer experience: familiarity will maximize success of cloud adoption - Independent software vendors will bring new features to market faster with cloud applications, so follow those changes closely
- Start planning today; understand your internal “cost to serve” per application, which will help determine return on investment (ROI) for public cloud solutions
- When working with cloud providers, look for contracts that establish and enforce service levels and security standards.
- Work with a software licensing expert to clarify and resolve issues affecting applications your organization wants to move to the cloud
Source(s)
- http://webobjects.cdw.com/webobjects/media/pdf/CDW-2013-State-Cloud-Report.pdf
So “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;”
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About Rick Ricker
An IT professional with over 21 years experience in Information Security, wireless broadband, network and Infrastructure design, development, and support.
For more information, contact Rick at (800) 399-6085
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