After doing some research, I have found some survey results that shed light on the way enterprises feel about cloud migration. Polls are indicating that enterprises are increasingly embracing cloud migration. In fact, enterprise companies are willing to spend 50% of their IT budget on cloud-related technology. This migration has focused on public clouds, with a 90% adoption rate according to a Forbes article I found. Hybrid clouds are catching up though, with a 60% to 70% adoption rate among enterprises. I also found it interesting that enterprises are using multi-cloud solutions, with an average of 6 clouds per enterprise. This make sense to me, since different companies may have different needs. Testing every cloud option available will ensure that enterprises have the best solution for their needs before fully embracing any one cloud.
So, why are enterprises migrating to the cloud on at such a high rate? Companies that keep their apps in the cloud are benefiting from the increased flexibility and the ability to quickly make changes. These benefits are becoming a focus for many leading companies. Not only are these apps more flexible and easier to roll out, but enterprises can get a better understanding of how their app is being used. Having this large collection of user data can help make the difference between a good product, and a great product.
Security for the cloud is being looked at in a different light as well. Cloud providers have been aware of the security concerns, and great strides have been made in terms of cloud security. Since these advancements in security, a lack of resources and internal expertise is now the number 1 concern for enterprises expanding their cloud presence.
But as security in the cloud strengthens, a lack of security in legacy technology may become a factor for embracing cloud migration. 65% of IT and security experts think that a data breach is expected within 12 months if legacy security solutions aren’t updated. When reputations are on the line, enterprises will take great lengths to keep theirs intact and migrating to the cloud may solve security issues.
This change of outlook towards the cloud has seen a lot of benefits as well. A poll conducted by The Stack found that investing in cloud technology has resulted in improved user flexibility (54%), quicker access to documents (52%), improved collaboration between users (45%) and better alignment between IT and business objectives (45%). These benefits have motivated a lot of enterprises, and it’s expected that cloud-related spending will double by 2020. This expansion in cloud spending is expected to have a focus on the media, retail and entertainment industries.
It’s clear that cloud migration is gaining momentum with enterprises, and there doesn’t seem to be any signs that this trend will change. But I think there still may be some challenges ahead for enterprises migrating to the cloud: how can an enterprise migrate all of its business-critical data into the cloud efficiently? And once it’s in the cloud, how do enterprises access, manage and distribute all of this data effectively?
