INTERXION HOLDING NV, a European provider of carrier-neutral colocation data centre services, announced the results of its cloud computing survey. It found that 45 per cent 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 per cent of respondents. Under the umbrella of security concerns, preventing data loss was stated as the main fear overall, with 71pc of respondents identifying it as one of their top three security concerns. However, preventing outages, rated second with 64pc, 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 69pc of European IT decision makers believe the cloud is a priority today. Large companies led the charge with 71pc believing it’s a priority, with small and medium companies close behind at 68 and 67pc respectively. Moreover, 75pc of the companies either 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.”
Encouraging results surrounding the future of the cloud come from nearly half of the respondents, who expect that more than half of their IT will be delivered from the cloud within the next two years, with 23pc citing more than 75pc of their IT expected to be housed in the cloud. Also, an overwhelming 90pc 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.
For cloud survey results and downloadable PDFs of the findings, visit www.interxion.com/cloud-insight/index.
For more information visit www.interxion.com.
