Infotech Lead UK: Cloud is a top priority for 40 percent of UK enterprises.
A recent IDC survey said the cloud as a standalone IT improvement solution is a top priority for 40 percent of UK enterprises. 75 percent consider Cloud as a means to solve key business issues.
According to two out of three of IT managers, cloud will offer competitive edge in their markets.
The top priorities for UK IT managers are to improve quality of service, support mobility, and facilitate collaboration. Cost is a major driver for the cloud.
Three in four respondents said they are likely to introduce new cloud solutions to reduce IT costs over the next year.
Reducing IT costs is the cloud benefit mentioned most often. Cost is not a dominant factor as it was a few years ago. Cost aspects are now the key reason for less than 40 percent of companies, while issues that influence work processes and company agility such as improved data access, introduction of new products, and changes to the application estate are the most important reasons cited in more than 60 percent of cases.
Most UK companies plan to introduce new cloud solutions over the next year. The most popular are productivity tools such as email, collaboration and office packages. While productivity tools have been well accepted in the cloud for several years, over a quarter of UK companies are considering migrating their Enterprise Resource Planning solutions to the cloud.
“Making enterprise-grade applications available from mobile devices will transform workforce economics for many industries. Scale is no longer a barrier, and in the past year we have signed agreements with blue chip companies that serve well over 100,000 users. The survey demonstrates that the appetite to embrace the full potential of cloud is growing,” said Sam Kingston, managing director for T-Systems in the UK.
Security issues are not an absolute barrier to cloud adoption, but more of a parameter for choosing which cloud to use and what for.
Four out of ten UK enterprises have a private cloud strategy; only 8 percent pursue a public cloud strategy.
IDC believes that the availability of more secure clouds is the key factor behind 27 percent of companies expecting to move their ERP solutions to the cloud as the necessary security levels, SLAs, and compliance become available.
“We believe this gives enterprises a better chance of finding innovative ways of solving their IT needs and getting the optimal solution, not only from a cost but also from a business development perspective,” said IDC analyst Mette Ahorlu.
