There has been significant growth in the adoption of cloud computing, according to a survey. Last year, only 14.9 percent of all data centers had implemented the technology. Today, that percentage has grown to 36.6 percent, with another 35.1 percent seriously considering it. Cloud computing will continue on this trajectory for the next five years, with 80 to 90 percent of all data centers adopting some form of the cloud during that period.
While historically one of the most critical elements of any data center, today, mainframe usage continues to shrink. While mainframes will exist forever in some capacity, their prevalence has been severely diminished.
Other findings:
-- Data centers are not prepared for disasters: More than 15 percent of respondents said their data center has no plan for data backup and recovery. 50 percent have no plan to replace damaged equipment after a disaster; two-thirds of all data centers have no plan or procedure to deal with cyber crime.
-- Web application proliferation: In the survey, 86.6 percent of all respondents reported an increase in the number of web applications they are running today as compared to just three years ago.
-- Even in a down economy, data centers have been expanding in size with 44.2 percent occupying more floor space that they did three years ago. Another 49.4 percent are currently in the process of expanding or are planning to in the near future. Only 16.4 percent have downsized.
-- Greening the data center: While only 3.9 percent of respondents have implemented solar power in their data center, this represents a trend towards integrating renewable energy as part of making more sustainable and energy efficient data centers. While the industry is certainly concerned with the environment, they look to greening as a great way to save substantial money now and even more as time goes on.
-- Biometric security use: Security is always a top concern for data centers, but the survey found the growing use of biometric screening for authorization and access has grown, with a surprising 25 percent of facilities installing the technology to better protect their data centers.
Comment from Richard Sawyer of HP Critical Facility Services: When it comes to disaster recovery, the survey results are indicative of the investment activity we have seen in data centers throughout the recession--focus on immediate needs with business continuity and disaster recovery planning considered a luxury. But now, with the regional disasters in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, and the turmoil in the Middle East, we are reminded it is a management necessity to be prepared for anything."
Comment from Jill Yaoz, CEO, AFCOM: In an environment where change is an accepted part of day-to-day life, it is important to recognize how data center managers are adapting to the new technologies and directions emerging in the industry. One of the most interesting changes our survey illustrates is the continued transition to the cloud. When we last did this survey in October 2009, very few data centers were even interested in the cloud, let alone actually adapting it. However, now we see that data center managers are more familiar with the risks and concepts, and cloud computing is quickly becoming a new standard of operation."
About the survey: AFCOM, a data center association, conducted the survey of 358 data center managers from around the world to find out how data centers are adapting to the most critical challenges, technologies and economic factors. This latest report proves top issues include the demands of space, energy efficiency, and physical and logical security.
Contact: http://www.afcom.com
Showing posts with label Cloud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cloud. Show all posts
Monday, April 11, 2011
Few Mission-Critical Apps Moved To The Cloud
While many companies are deploying software as a service (SaaS) applications and have selectively deployed enterprise applications in private clouds, very few have moved mission-critical applications to the public cloud, a survey has found. In fact, only seven percent of respondents have moved compliance-relevant applications to the public cloud; security and compliance issues were the primary inhibitors to cloud adoption.
Comment from Darran Rolls, CTO of SailPoint: Organizations face too many unknowns related to compliance and security in cloud environments to consider moving mission-critical IT assets there. Yet, many business units are already deploying SaaS applications without engaging the IT organization, creating major gaps in the visibility and control over potentially sensitive data. In order to safely adopt cloud computing, companies need to govern identity and access data deployed in the cloud in the same manner that they govern applications in the datacenter.
About the survey: SailPoint conducted the survey among the Global 1000.
Contact: http://www.sailpoint.com
Comment from Darran Rolls, CTO of SailPoint: Organizations face too many unknowns related to compliance and security in cloud environments to consider moving mission-critical IT assets there. Yet, many business units are already deploying SaaS applications without engaging the IT organization, creating major gaps in the visibility and control over potentially sensitive data. In order to safely adopt cloud computing, companies need to govern identity and access data deployed in the cloud in the same manner that they govern applications in the datacenter.
About the survey: SailPoint conducted the survey among the Global 1000.
Contact: http://www.sailpoint.com
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Rapid Growth Opportunities for Open Source Solutions At Federal Agencies To Consolidate Data Centers
As federal agencies follow their mandate to consolidate their datacenters, both government IT managers and commercial systems integrators (SIs) are focusing on the abilities of open source solutions and open software stacks to help ease this transition, according to a report.
Three of today's major solutions providers are Oracle, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard. The report reviews examples of solutions stacks and potential stack components, including the open source LAMP stack, a system used by government currently that consists of the Linux OS, Apache Web server, MySQL database, and tools such as Perl, PHP, and Python.
Government IT offices should leverage a two- to three-year window of opportunity to help influence the evolution of open source solution stacks chosen by large IT systems integrators (SIs).
The U.S. Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is giving IT vendors more flexibility with the types of software they choose to integrate into their solutions, and IT systems integrators sometimes can bid lower if they eliminate licensing costs. Opportunities exist for systems integrators and IT services companies to select and customize robust enterprise-wide open source solutions to penetrate the government market and capitalize.
Comment from Shawn P. McCarthy, research director for IDC Government Insights: Datacenter consolidation is about much more than just consolidation. It's also about migrating to new platforms, improving IT economics, eliminating unnecessary software licensing fees, and reducing associated management costs. Our research indicates that with federal investment, centralized open source solution stacks have already emerged at government sites. Because of this investment, and because SIs are heavily involved in the consolidation effort, we expect to see rapid growth for some of these open solution stacks.
About the report: IDC Government Insights' report, Technology Selection: Open Source Solutions Will Drive Datacenter Consolidation and Cloud Growth (Document # GI225382), examines how open source solutions are influencing government datacenter consolidation.
Contact: http://www.idc-gi.com
Three of today's major solutions providers are Oracle, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard. The report reviews examples of solutions stacks and potential stack components, including the open source LAMP stack, a system used by government currently that consists of the Linux OS, Apache Web server, MySQL database, and tools such as Perl, PHP, and Python.
Government IT offices should leverage a two- to three-year window of opportunity to help influence the evolution of open source solution stacks chosen by large IT systems integrators (SIs).
The U.S. Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is giving IT vendors more flexibility with the types of software they choose to integrate into their solutions, and IT systems integrators sometimes can bid lower if they eliminate licensing costs. Opportunities exist for systems integrators and IT services companies to select and customize robust enterprise-wide open source solutions to penetrate the government market and capitalize.
Comment from Shawn P. McCarthy, research director for IDC Government Insights: Datacenter consolidation is about much more than just consolidation. It's also about migrating to new platforms, improving IT economics, eliminating unnecessary software licensing fees, and reducing associated management costs. Our research indicates that with federal investment, centralized open source solution stacks have already emerged at government sites. Because of this investment, and because SIs are heavily involved in the consolidation effort, we expect to see rapid growth for some of these open solution stacks.
About the report: IDC Government Insights' report, Technology Selection: Open Source Solutions Will Drive Datacenter Consolidation and Cloud Growth (Document # GI225382), examines how open source solutions are influencing government datacenter consolidation.
Contact: http://www.idc-gi.com
Service Providers Top The List As Cloud-Computing Providers
Service providers have an opportunity to differentiate themselves and add new revenue-generating services by providing public cloud-computing services, a survey has found.
Nearly 12 percent of enterprise workloads will run in the public cloud by the end of 2013. Furthermore, the study found that desktop applications, email, collaboration, and enterprise resources planning are most likely to shift to the cloud. This, in turn, will yield a market for public, cloud-computing services of approximately US$44 billion.
Key facts/highlights
-- Enterprises across many sectors -- including manufacturing, financial services, retail, healthcare, and professional services systems integrators, IT service outsourcers, technical consulting, and public sector organizations -- are seriously considering cloud computing.
-- Cloud-migration decisions are being made at the application level. Most decision makers envision a staged migration to cloud-computing services, beginning with noncritical applications. Enterprise executives believe that no applications should be automatically excluded from migration to cloud.
-- For enterprises, the decision about moving to a private or public cloud is not binary. It hinges on executives' perceptions around security and control, data-center overcapacity and scale, and access to skilled IT personnel. Enterprises will potentially use private and public cloud-computing to manage their IT resources.
-- The study identified a set of target applications for cloud that spans various verticals. Targets for infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) include application development and testing, disaster recovery, simulations, data warehousing, and analysis. Targets for software-as-a-service (SaaS) are customer-relationship management (CRM), email, unified communications, web applications and desktop environments.
-- An organizational convergence is taking place across the IT and networking departments within enterprises. A total of 80 percent of the enterprises surveyed have converged, or are in the process of converging, these departments into one organizational structure.
About the study: The study, conducted by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), investigates the "public cloud" and the desire of enterprises to use external, on-demand infrastructure and applications. Cisco IBSG conducted in-depth, one-on-one interviews with more than 80 enterprise information technology (IT) decision makers from 43 enterprises and public-sector organizations in the United States, the European Union, and India. Additionally, Cisco IBSG interviewed 20 subject matter experts.
Contact: The complete white paper ("Network Service Providers as Cloud Providers: Survey Shows Cloud Provision Is a Bright Option") can be downloaded here.
Contact: http://www.cisco.com
Nearly 12 percent of enterprise workloads will run in the public cloud by the end of 2013. Furthermore, the study found that desktop applications, email, collaboration, and enterprise resources planning are most likely to shift to the cloud. This, in turn, will yield a market for public, cloud-computing services of approximately US$44 billion.
Key facts/highlights
-- Enterprises across many sectors -- including manufacturing, financial services, retail, healthcare, and professional services systems integrators, IT service outsourcers, technical consulting, and public sector organizations -- are seriously considering cloud computing.
-- Cloud-migration decisions are being made at the application level. Most decision makers envision a staged migration to cloud-computing services, beginning with noncritical applications. Enterprise executives believe that no applications should be automatically excluded from migration to cloud.
-- For enterprises, the decision about moving to a private or public cloud is not binary. It hinges on executives' perceptions around security and control, data-center overcapacity and scale, and access to skilled IT personnel. Enterprises will potentially use private and public cloud-computing to manage their IT resources.
-- The study identified a set of target applications for cloud that spans various verticals. Targets for infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) include application development and testing, disaster recovery, simulations, data warehousing, and analysis. Targets for software-as-a-service (SaaS) are customer-relationship management (CRM), email, unified communications, web applications and desktop environments.
-- An organizational convergence is taking place across the IT and networking departments within enterprises. A total of 80 percent of the enterprises surveyed have converged, or are in the process of converging, these departments into one organizational structure.
About the study: The study, conducted by Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), investigates the "public cloud" and the desire of enterprises to use external, on-demand infrastructure and applications. Cisco IBSG conducted in-depth, one-on-one interviews with more than 80 enterprise information technology (IT) decision makers from 43 enterprises and public-sector organizations in the United States, the European Union, and India. Additionally, Cisco IBSG interviewed 20 subject matter experts.
Contact: The complete white paper ("Network Service Providers as Cloud Providers: Survey Shows Cloud Provision Is a Bright Option") can be downloaded here.
Contact: http://www.cisco.com
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Most Companies Believe Sensitive Data Can Be Secured in the Cloud
Most companies believe sensitive data can be secured in the cloud, a survey has found.
In addition, nearly half of the respondents also said they believe cloud-based solutions can be as secure as on-premise products, with over 40 percent stating they would consider replacing current solutions with cloud-based ones.
However, respondents did keep their feet on the ground with clear caveats that cloud solutions must include strong data protection, data segregation and the ability to comply with key compliance mandates, such as Sarbanes Oxley, HIPAA and PCI DSS. Compliance was noted as mission critical by nearly 80 percent of those surveyed, and most respondents felt there was some data still too risky to put in the cloud, including intellectual property, financial information and employee records. The survey also showed most companies are willing to forego performance for cloud security, with nearly 80 percent saying they would sacrifice some cloud computing performance in order to ensure that the data was secure.
In the end, it comes down to whether or not a cloud vendor can address the top criteria for cloud security, which are: data protection (85 percent), auditing and tracking (53 percent), access control rules and securing data in motion (both at 36 percent).
For cloud vendors, the survey clearly reveals the most important criteria for companies evaluating a cloud vendor. Respondents placed greatest importance how their data is segregated from other customers (85 percent), whether or not the vendor has a comprehensive and secure disaster recovery plan in place (80 percent), understanding how their company data is secured within the application (79 percent), and understanding the vendor's security breach contingency process (72 percent). Access control rules, strong authentication and best-of-breed network security infrastructure were some of the other criteria near the top of the list when considering cloud providers.
Comment from Margaret Dawson, vice president of marketing and product management at Hubspan: The results of this survey show that while some of the concerns over cloud security may be overblown, vendors must be able to clearly show how they address data segregation, compliance and other areas critical to businesses interested in augmenting on-premise infrastructure with cloud-based solutions. These results mirror what we hear from our own customers, and Hubspan has been ahead of the game in providing best-in-class security and compliance-based B2B integration in the cloud.
About the survey: More than 200 companies completed the cloud survey, ranging in size from under 50 to several thousand employees. Respondents represented a range of industries, with high-tech, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail and B2B eCommerce accounting for 50 percent of the polls.
Contact: http://www.hubspan.com
In addition, nearly half of the respondents also said they believe cloud-based solutions can be as secure as on-premise products, with over 40 percent stating they would consider replacing current solutions with cloud-based ones.
However, respondents did keep their feet on the ground with clear caveats that cloud solutions must include strong data protection, data segregation and the ability to comply with key compliance mandates, such as Sarbanes Oxley, HIPAA and PCI DSS. Compliance was noted as mission critical by nearly 80 percent of those surveyed, and most respondents felt there was some data still too risky to put in the cloud, including intellectual property, financial information and employee records. The survey also showed most companies are willing to forego performance for cloud security, with nearly 80 percent saying they would sacrifice some cloud computing performance in order to ensure that the data was secure.
In the end, it comes down to whether or not a cloud vendor can address the top criteria for cloud security, which are: data protection (85 percent), auditing and tracking (53 percent), access control rules and securing data in motion (both at 36 percent).
For cloud vendors, the survey clearly reveals the most important criteria for companies evaluating a cloud vendor. Respondents placed greatest importance how their data is segregated from other customers (85 percent), whether or not the vendor has a comprehensive and secure disaster recovery plan in place (80 percent), understanding how their company data is secured within the application (79 percent), and understanding the vendor's security breach contingency process (72 percent). Access control rules, strong authentication and best-of-breed network security infrastructure were some of the other criteria near the top of the list when considering cloud providers.
Comment from Margaret Dawson, vice president of marketing and product management at Hubspan: The results of this survey show that while some of the concerns over cloud security may be overblown, vendors must be able to clearly show how they address data segregation, compliance and other areas critical to businesses interested in augmenting on-premise infrastructure with cloud-based solutions. These results mirror what we hear from our own customers, and Hubspan has been ahead of the game in providing best-in-class security and compliance-based B2B integration in the cloud.
About the survey: More than 200 companies completed the cloud survey, ranging in size from under 50 to several thousand employees. Respondents represented a range of industries, with high-tech, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail and B2B eCommerce accounting for 50 percent of the polls.
Contact: http://www.hubspan.com
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Consumer Devices, Social Media and Video May Be Causing Company IT Policies To Bend Or Break
There is a disconnect between IT policies and workers, especially as employees strive to work in a more mobile fashion and use numerous devices, social media and new forms of communication such as video, a new survey has found. As technology trends alter the way businesses communicate and operate, more than two-thirds of workers surveyed believed their companies' IT policies could be improved, and at least two of every five (41 percent) said they break those policies to meet their needs.
Key findings:
1. Employee Awareness and Adherence to IT Policies
-- The study revealed that while most companies have IT policies (82 percent), about one in four employees (24 percent) are unaware that such policies exist. An additional 23 percent reported that their companies do not have IT policies on acceptable device usage. When combined, almost half of the workers in the study (47 percent) either do not have an IT policy on device usage or do not know that one exists.
-- For those employees who have an IT policy, 35 percent say IT does not provide an explanation or rationale for why it exists, which can result in apathy, misunderstanding and selective compliance.
-- Among workers aware of IT policy, about two of three (64 percent) feel it could use some improvement. These employees believe policies could be updated to reflect real-world needs and work styles, such as finding an acceptable medium between device usage, social media, mobility and work flexibility.
-- Of those employees who admit to breaking IT policies, about two of every five (41 percent) say it's because they need restricted programs and applications to get the job done -- they're simply trying to be more productive and efficient.
-- One of five (20 percent) employees worldwide said they break IT policy because they believe their company or IT team will not enforce it.
-- This research points to an issue among many businesses worldwide: the need to re-evaluate and update IT policies to align with the growing reality of a workforce that is demanding more enablement to be connected anywhere, anytime, with any device and any information in their work and personal lives.
2. IT Policy Toward Employee Use of Social Media, Devices
-- Social media use is restricted to varying degrees around the world and per company. Although half (51 percent) of the employees surveyed worldwide believe social media, while not work-related, contributes to work-life balance, two of five (41 percent) said they are restricted from using Facebook at their job, and one of three (35 percent) is restricted from using Twitter at work or with work devices.
-- More than one in four (28 percent) workers are restricted from using instant messaging at work or with work devices, and one in five (21 percent) are restricted from doing personal e-mail on work devices and during work hours.
-- Two of every three employees (64 percent) believe their IT teams and companies should loosen up and allow social media use during work hours with work devices, citing work-life balance as a key reason, particularly because many of them can work in a mobile, distributed fashion and put in longer hours as a result.
-- The use of personal devices like iPads and iPhones is also restricted to some degree. Globally, almost one in five (18 percent) employees are not allowed to use their iPods at work, and almost one in five (18 percent) are restricted from using personal devices like employee-owned laptops or phones.
-- The majority of employees (66 percent) believe they should be able to connect freely with any device -- personal or company-issued -- and access the applications and information that they need around the clock. Policy or no policy, many employees will simply do it, raising the question about how effective a policy is and how IT can update, enforce and ensure better compliance.
3. The Rise of Video in the Workplace
-- The use of video is on the rise as a form of consumer and enterprise communication. Globally, more than two-thirds of IT professionals (68 percent) feel that the importance of video communications to their company will increase in the future. This sentiment is particularly true among those in Mexico (85 percent), China (85 percent), Brazil (82 percent), and Spain (82 percent).
-- However, not all employees who wish to use video communications in the workplace are able to do so today. About two in five employees (41percent) said they cannot use video as a communications tool at work, with more than half of employees in the United States (53 percent), the United Kingdom (55 percent), Germany (55 percent) and France (60 percent) not having the capability of using video for workplace communications.
Comment from Marie Hattar, vice president, Borderless Networks, Cisco: The time spent between work and personal lives has blurred. Employees expect to access networks, applications and information anywhere, at any time, on any device. With the expansion of diverse devices in the workplace, along with the growth of video as a favored mode of communication, IT organizations are facing many policy and management demands on their networking infrastructure. The good news is that IT departments can allow employees to be productive and satisfy their desire to socially network on consumer or company-issued devices through the agility and flexibility provided by a Cisco Borderless Network Architecture.
Comment from Nasrin Rezai, senior director, Cisco Security: While most companies have IT policies, employees are not always aware of or knowledgeable about them. For those employees who are cognizant, policies are not always considered up-to-date or reflective of real-world business and lifestyle expectations, and as a result they are broken many times. The Cisco Connected World Report spotlights the disconnect between IT, employees and policies. As workforces become more distributed and the consumerization of IT becomes a fact of mainstream life, the importance of updating appropriate policies to accommodate employee needs while balancing risk and security becomes critical.
About the study: The study was commissioned by Cisco and conducted by InsightExpress, a third-party market research firm based in the United States. Cisco commissioned the study to maintain its understanding of present-day challenges that companies face as they strive to address employee and business needs amid increasing mobility capabilities, security risks, and technologies that can deliver applications and information more ubiquitously -- from virtualized data centers and cloud computing to traditional wired and wireless networks.
Contact: http://www.cisco.com
Key findings:
1. Employee Awareness and Adherence to IT Policies
-- The study revealed that while most companies have IT policies (82 percent), about one in four employees (24 percent) are unaware that such policies exist. An additional 23 percent reported that their companies do not have IT policies on acceptable device usage. When combined, almost half of the workers in the study (47 percent) either do not have an IT policy on device usage or do not know that one exists.
-- For those employees who have an IT policy, 35 percent say IT does not provide an explanation or rationale for why it exists, which can result in apathy, misunderstanding and selective compliance.
-- Among workers aware of IT policy, about two of three (64 percent) feel it could use some improvement. These employees believe policies could be updated to reflect real-world needs and work styles, such as finding an acceptable medium between device usage, social media, mobility and work flexibility.
-- Of those employees who admit to breaking IT policies, about two of every five (41 percent) say it's because they need restricted programs and applications to get the job done -- they're simply trying to be more productive and efficient.
-- One of five (20 percent) employees worldwide said they break IT policy because they believe their company or IT team will not enforce it.
-- This research points to an issue among many businesses worldwide: the need to re-evaluate and update IT policies to align with the growing reality of a workforce that is demanding more enablement to be connected anywhere, anytime, with any device and any information in their work and personal lives.
2. IT Policy Toward Employee Use of Social Media, Devices
-- Social media use is restricted to varying degrees around the world and per company. Although half (51 percent) of the employees surveyed worldwide believe social media, while not work-related, contributes to work-life balance, two of five (41 percent) said they are restricted from using Facebook at their job, and one of three (35 percent) is restricted from using Twitter at work or with work devices.
-- More than one in four (28 percent) workers are restricted from using instant messaging at work or with work devices, and one in five (21 percent) are restricted from doing personal e-mail on work devices and during work hours.
-- Two of every three employees (64 percent) believe their IT teams and companies should loosen up and allow social media use during work hours with work devices, citing work-life balance as a key reason, particularly because many of them can work in a mobile, distributed fashion and put in longer hours as a result.
-- The use of personal devices like iPads and iPhones is also restricted to some degree. Globally, almost one in five (18 percent) employees are not allowed to use their iPods at work, and almost one in five (18 percent) are restricted from using personal devices like employee-owned laptops or phones.
-- The majority of employees (66 percent) believe they should be able to connect freely with any device -- personal or company-issued -- and access the applications and information that they need around the clock. Policy or no policy, many employees will simply do it, raising the question about how effective a policy is and how IT can update, enforce and ensure better compliance.
3. The Rise of Video in the Workplace
-- The use of video is on the rise as a form of consumer and enterprise communication. Globally, more than two-thirds of IT professionals (68 percent) feel that the importance of video communications to their company will increase in the future. This sentiment is particularly true among those in Mexico (85 percent), China (85 percent), Brazil (82 percent), and Spain (82 percent).
-- However, not all employees who wish to use video communications in the workplace are able to do so today. About two in five employees (41percent) said they cannot use video as a communications tool at work, with more than half of employees in the United States (53 percent), the United Kingdom (55 percent), Germany (55 percent) and France (60 percent) not having the capability of using video for workplace communications.
Comment from Marie Hattar, vice president, Borderless Networks, Cisco: The time spent between work and personal lives has blurred. Employees expect to access networks, applications and information anywhere, at any time, on any device. With the expansion of diverse devices in the workplace, along with the growth of video as a favored mode of communication, IT organizations are facing many policy and management demands on their networking infrastructure. The good news is that IT departments can allow employees to be productive and satisfy their desire to socially network on consumer or company-issued devices through the agility and flexibility provided by a Cisco Borderless Network Architecture.
Comment from Nasrin Rezai, senior director, Cisco Security: While most companies have IT policies, employees are not always aware of or knowledgeable about them. For those employees who are cognizant, policies are not always considered up-to-date or reflective of real-world business and lifestyle expectations, and as a result they are broken many times. The Cisco Connected World Report spotlights the disconnect between IT, employees and policies. As workforces become more distributed and the consumerization of IT becomes a fact of mainstream life, the importance of updating appropriate policies to accommodate employee needs while balancing risk and security becomes critical.
About the study: The study was commissioned by Cisco and conducted by InsightExpress, a third-party market research firm based in the United States. Cisco commissioned the study to maintain its understanding of present-day challenges that companies face as they strive to address employee and business needs amid increasing mobility capabilities, security risks, and technologies that can deliver applications and information more ubiquitously -- from virtualized data centers and cloud computing to traditional wired and wireless networks.
Contact: http://www.cisco.com
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Executives See Organizations Moving To Cloud-Based Services Within Two Years
Business and government executives overwhelmingly expect their organizations to use Cloud computing within the next two years, according to a survey by KPMG LLP.
Ninety percent of the executives and 68 percent of the middle managers said they are using or plan to use Cloud-based services within two years.
Eighty-two percent of all the respondents, which consisted of executives, middle managers and staff, said that migration to the Cloud raises a broad set of issues around business transformation that should be understood and managed across the entire organization.
When asked to rate the importance of four factors driving a company or organization to pursue Cloud-based activities, 84 percent of those surveyed rated "technical" (ie., scalability, security) as important or extremely important, while 78 percent viewed "economics" (cost savings, shifting capital expenditures to operational expenditures) as important or extremely important, and 76 percent placed "functional" (ie., capabilities, accessibility) in that category, with 66 percent rating "strategic" factors (ie., business process transformation, speed to market) as important or extremely important.
In addition, 79 percent of executives, middle managers and staff said that Cloud is a viable option for enterprises to be more agile and cost competitive and 74 percent said that organizations adopting Cloud can experience long-term competitive advantages.
Comment from Steve Hill, KPMG's National Innovation Leader: The survey results reflect wide acceptance of Cloud-based services among executives, who are increasingly recognizing the Cloud's strategic, business value. Those surveyed also said that experimentation will be required to fully understand the value of Cloud-based operations, and this approach, they noted, will bring challenges that need to be addressed. Those surveyed clearly recognize that in the migration to Cloud computing, strategic business considerations today decisively trump yesterday's technology discussion. Cloud-enabled environments, particularly community models, may facilitate paradigm changes in business models and in the core drivers of competitive differentiation.
About the survey: KPMG's survey sample comprised 174 executives, middle managers and staff from business, government and academia who completed surveys onsite at the Oracle OpenWorld 2010 trade show in September.
Contact: http://www.us.kpmg.com
Ninety percent of the executives and 68 percent of the middle managers said they are using or plan to use Cloud-based services within two years.
Eighty-two percent of all the respondents, which consisted of executives, middle managers and staff, said that migration to the Cloud raises a broad set of issues around business transformation that should be understood and managed across the entire organization.
When asked to rate the importance of four factors driving a company or organization to pursue Cloud-based activities, 84 percent of those surveyed rated "technical" (ie., scalability, security) as important or extremely important, while 78 percent viewed "economics" (cost savings, shifting capital expenditures to operational expenditures) as important or extremely important, and 76 percent placed "functional" (ie., capabilities, accessibility) in that category, with 66 percent rating "strategic" factors (ie., business process transformation, speed to market) as important or extremely important.
In addition, 79 percent of executives, middle managers and staff said that Cloud is a viable option for enterprises to be more agile and cost competitive and 74 percent said that organizations adopting Cloud can experience long-term competitive advantages.
Comment from Steve Hill, KPMG's National Innovation Leader: The survey results reflect wide acceptance of Cloud-based services among executives, who are increasingly recognizing the Cloud's strategic, business value. Those surveyed also said that experimentation will be required to fully understand the value of Cloud-based operations, and this approach, they noted, will bring challenges that need to be addressed. Those surveyed clearly recognize that in the migration to Cloud computing, strategic business considerations today decisively trump yesterday's technology discussion. Cloud-enabled environments, particularly community models, may facilitate paradigm changes in business models and in the core drivers of competitive differentiation.
About the survey: KPMG's survey sample comprised 174 executives, middle managers and staff from business, government and academia who completed surveys onsite at the Oracle OpenWorld 2010 trade show in September.
Contact: http://www.us.kpmg.com
Cloud Adopters Say Cloud Solutions Are Better Than Their On-Premise Counterparts
Experienced cloud adopters see public cloud solutions as a significant improvement from their traditional on-premise counterparts, and cite the cloud's positive and strategic impact on their business and IT organization, according to a new survey:
-- More than 60 percent of cloud adopters say cloud solutions are better than on-premise in terms of availability, total cost of ownership, ease-of-integration, ease-of-deployment and time-to-value.
-- 83 percent agreed that cloud solutions have helped them respond faster to the needs of their business.
-- 29 percent strongly agreed that cloud solutions have changed the way they run their business.
-- Nearly 40 percent say future cloud adoption will be part of an overall business transformation, 65 percent say it will be part of an IT transformation.
Given the positive experience of cloud adopters, it may not be surprising to see that adopters label many of the most common fears about cloud solutions as "misconceptions." Twenty-eight percent of survey respondents say that cloud security is the number one misconception about cloud solutions, with integration challenges (15 percent) and lock-in (13 percent) coming in a distant second and third choice. More than 35 percent of respondents said IT leadership is the primary driver of cloud misconceptions, more than triple the number who called out traditional vendors (10 percent) or media and analysts (6 percent) as the driver.
Cloud adopters are more aggressive in their near-term and long-term adoption plans than what general market data indicates. Today, 22 percent of cloud adopters said they had more than 50 percent of their IT in the public cloud; and 68 percent expect to have the majority of their IT in the public cloud within three years. While nearly every analyst group predicts tremendous growth for cloud computing in the next three years, they're typically much more conservative about how much of IT moves to the public cloud in that timeframe.
IT has often been portrayed as on the sidelines when it comes to cloud adoption, with business leaders using cloud applications as a way to get around IT. However, cloud adopters paint a much different picture:
-- 70 percent of cloud adopters say IT was a driver in the decision-making process to move to the cloud, and nearly 80 percent expect IT will be a driver in the future.
-- 70 percent agree that cloud solutions have "changed the role of IT within the business -- IT is now seen as a true business enabler," and 40 percent strongly agree with this statement.
Security, compliance and manageability remain priorities for improving cloud applications, just as they continue to be priorities for existing, on-premise IT solutions. However, a new set of challenges are beginning to emerge with cloud adopters, including cloud-to-cloud integration, bringing information to mobile devices, and reducing SaaS silos. More than 73 percent of respondents selected each of these three areas as an important or very important priority. Overall, more than 65 percent of respondents said enhancing their cloud applications was a high or essential priority in the context of their broader objectives. Only 3 percent rated it a low or non-priority.
Comment from Chris Barbin, CEO of Appirio: Companies leading the charge on cloud computing can teach the broader market a lot about what's real, what's hype and what to expect when you move more of your IT to the cloud. Cloud computing is a highly valuable but disruptive technology, and the enterprises that will be most successful with the transition are those who can learn from the experience of others and look beyond the challenges of today.
About the survey: Appirio's State of the Public Cloud Survey targeted more than 150 IT decision makers at mid-to-large sized companies that had already implemented at least one of the leading SaaS applications or cloud platforms. Conducted by a third-party firm, the survey uncovered valuable insights from companies that have already begun their move to the cloud.
Contact: A free copy of Appirio's State of the Public Cloud report, including full data and commentary, can be downloaded here.
Contact: http://www.appirio.com
-- More than 60 percent of cloud adopters say cloud solutions are better than on-premise in terms of availability, total cost of ownership, ease-of-integration, ease-of-deployment and time-to-value.
-- 83 percent agreed that cloud solutions have helped them respond faster to the needs of their business.
-- 29 percent strongly agreed that cloud solutions have changed the way they run their business.
-- Nearly 40 percent say future cloud adoption will be part of an overall business transformation, 65 percent say it will be part of an IT transformation.
Given the positive experience of cloud adopters, it may not be surprising to see that adopters label many of the most common fears about cloud solutions as "misconceptions." Twenty-eight percent of survey respondents say that cloud security is the number one misconception about cloud solutions, with integration challenges (15 percent) and lock-in (13 percent) coming in a distant second and third choice. More than 35 percent of respondents said IT leadership is the primary driver of cloud misconceptions, more than triple the number who called out traditional vendors (10 percent) or media and analysts (6 percent) as the driver.
Cloud adopters are more aggressive in their near-term and long-term adoption plans than what general market data indicates. Today, 22 percent of cloud adopters said they had more than 50 percent of their IT in the public cloud; and 68 percent expect to have the majority of their IT in the public cloud within three years. While nearly every analyst group predicts tremendous growth for cloud computing in the next three years, they're typically much more conservative about how much of IT moves to the public cloud in that timeframe.
IT has often been portrayed as on the sidelines when it comes to cloud adoption, with business leaders using cloud applications as a way to get around IT. However, cloud adopters paint a much different picture:
-- 70 percent of cloud adopters say IT was a driver in the decision-making process to move to the cloud, and nearly 80 percent expect IT will be a driver in the future.
-- 70 percent agree that cloud solutions have "changed the role of IT within the business -- IT is now seen as a true business enabler," and 40 percent strongly agree with this statement.
Security, compliance and manageability remain priorities for improving cloud applications, just as they continue to be priorities for existing, on-premise IT solutions. However, a new set of challenges are beginning to emerge with cloud adopters, including cloud-to-cloud integration, bringing information to mobile devices, and reducing SaaS silos. More than 73 percent of respondents selected each of these three areas as an important or very important priority. Overall, more than 65 percent of respondents said enhancing their cloud applications was a high or essential priority in the context of their broader objectives. Only 3 percent rated it a low or non-priority.
Comment from Chris Barbin, CEO of Appirio: Companies leading the charge on cloud computing can teach the broader market a lot about what's real, what's hype and what to expect when you move more of your IT to the cloud. Cloud computing is a highly valuable but disruptive technology, and the enterprises that will be most successful with the transition are those who can learn from the experience of others and look beyond the challenges of today.
About the survey: Appirio's State of the Public Cloud Survey targeted more than 150 IT decision makers at mid-to-large sized companies that had already implemented at least one of the leading SaaS applications or cloud platforms. Conducted by a third-party firm, the survey uncovered valuable insights from companies that have already begun their move to the cloud.
Contact: A free copy of Appirio's State of the Public Cloud report, including full data and commentary, can be downloaded here.
Contact: http://www.appirio.com
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sixty-Four Percent Of Enterprises Admit They Would Not Pass an Audit Verifying Appropriate Access to Cloud Data
The Cloud is still akin to the Wild West when it comes to the security of the data hosted there, according to new survey findings.
In fact, one in seven companies admit that they know there are potential access violations in their Cloud applications, but they don't know how to find them. The survey also found that there is widespread confusion about who is responsible for securing Cloud data: 78.4 percent of respondents could not identify the single party responsible. As enterprises increasingly leverage Cloud solutions amid this confusion, more data is at risk of unauthorized access.
Cloud adoption may be outpacing commensurate security controls. Even more startling, the lack of knowledge about which systems or applications employees have access to is actually increasing, up nearly 10 percent from last year's figures. This indicates an alarming growth in the lack of control enterprises have over user access, which is only exacerbated by the use of Cloud solutions.
Key cloud-related results from the survey include:
-- Nearly half (48.1 percent) of respondents said they are not confident that a compliance audit of their Cloud-based applications would show that all user access is appropriate. An additional 15.7 percent admitted they are aware that potential access violations exist, but they don't know how to find them. Confusion abounds about Cloud data security - more than three quarters of respondents cannot say who they believe should be responsible for data housed in a Cloud environment.
-- While 65.4 percent said that the company from which the data originates, the application provider and the Cloud service provider are all responsible, another 13 percent said they were not sure. There is no consensus on who the single party should be that protects that data.
-- 61.2 percent of respondents said they have limited or no knowledge of which systems or applications employees have access to. This number spiked from 52.8 percent in 2009, demonstrating an increasing risk of "zombie" accounts -- accounts that remain active after employees have left the company or changed roles, which can lead to data breaches. Fittingly, enterprises are less confident this year than in 2009 that they can prevent terminated employees from accessing one or more IT systems.
-- 64.3 percent said they are not completely confident, compared with 57.9 percent last year. There was a slight increase in the percentage of companies who were more concerned with external IT security threats than internal ones. 56.5 percent of respondents said that external threats were still the biggest concern, compared with 54 percent last year.
Comment from Courion: These results show that many organizations are not currently doing the proper due diligence to ensure that sensitive data is being accessed by the right employees on-premise, not to mention when data is housed by a third party provider. The responses indicate that the problem is getting worse, and is only being exacerbated by the increasing use of Cloud-based applications, which creates more access violation risk. Courion recommends careful inspection of Access Assurance policies that define, verify and enforce that the right users have the right access to the right resources and are doing the right things, and also that companies deliberate on which applications are best-suited for Cloud environments and which are best kept on-premise.
About the survey: Courion Corporation conducted the 2010 Access Assurance Survey in October 2010 among 384 business managers from large enterprises, 86 percent of which had at least 1,000 employees.
Contact: http://www.courion.com
In fact, one in seven companies admit that they know there are potential access violations in their Cloud applications, but they don't know how to find them. The survey also found that there is widespread confusion about who is responsible for securing Cloud data: 78.4 percent of respondents could not identify the single party responsible. As enterprises increasingly leverage Cloud solutions amid this confusion, more data is at risk of unauthorized access.
Cloud adoption may be outpacing commensurate security controls. Even more startling, the lack of knowledge about which systems or applications employees have access to is actually increasing, up nearly 10 percent from last year's figures. This indicates an alarming growth in the lack of control enterprises have over user access, which is only exacerbated by the use of Cloud solutions.
Key cloud-related results from the survey include:
-- Nearly half (48.1 percent) of respondents said they are not confident that a compliance audit of their Cloud-based applications would show that all user access is appropriate. An additional 15.7 percent admitted they are aware that potential access violations exist, but they don't know how to find them. Confusion abounds about Cloud data security - more than three quarters of respondents cannot say who they believe should be responsible for data housed in a Cloud environment.
-- While 65.4 percent said that the company from which the data originates, the application provider and the Cloud service provider are all responsible, another 13 percent said they were not sure. There is no consensus on who the single party should be that protects that data.
-- 61.2 percent of respondents said they have limited or no knowledge of which systems or applications employees have access to. This number spiked from 52.8 percent in 2009, demonstrating an increasing risk of "zombie" accounts -- accounts that remain active after employees have left the company or changed roles, which can lead to data breaches. Fittingly, enterprises are less confident this year than in 2009 that they can prevent terminated employees from accessing one or more IT systems.
-- 64.3 percent said they are not completely confident, compared with 57.9 percent last year. There was a slight increase in the percentage of companies who were more concerned with external IT security threats than internal ones. 56.5 percent of respondents said that external threats were still the biggest concern, compared with 54 percent last year.
Comment from Courion: These results show that many organizations are not currently doing the proper due diligence to ensure that sensitive data is being accessed by the right employees on-premise, not to mention when data is housed by a third party provider. The responses indicate that the problem is getting worse, and is only being exacerbated by the increasing use of Cloud-based applications, which creates more access violation risk. Courion recommends careful inspection of Access Assurance policies that define, verify and enforce that the right users have the right access to the right resources and are doing the right things, and also that companies deliberate on which applications are best-suited for Cloud environments and which are best kept on-premise.
About the survey: Courion Corporation conducted the 2010 Access Assurance Survey in October 2010 among 384 business managers from large enterprises, 86 percent of which had at least 1,000 employees.
Contact: http://www.courion.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Demand For Security In The Cloud Continues Unabated
Market demand for security delivered in the cloud continues, especially as part of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model that make it easier for businesses to protect customer, employee and corporate information.
A recent survey of IT decision-makers at small-to-medium sized businesses found that one-third of respondents plan to implement such security services by 2012.
Industry analysts have also projected a continued shift toward security services.
Comment by Chris Christiansen, Program Vice President, Security Products and Services, IDC: We are seeing considerable movement from security software to SaaS, especially for messaging and Web security. Customers demand more flexibility so practically every security vendor will offer a SaaS alternative to hardware-based appliances and software licenses. SaaS will move from its traditional strength in messaging and Web into other markets such as vulnerability and identity management.
In response the the surging demand, Webroot introduced a new version of its Web security service. Updates include new Web activity reports that enable IT administrators to better manage bandwidth usage and prevent "repeat policy offenders" from putting the company's network at risk. Enhancements also include a new reporting infrastructure that provides administrators with instant access to custom data at any level of granularity.
About the survey: The online survey fielded in April 2010 with 505 U.S. Web and email security decision-makers in companies with 10 to 999 seats. The survey was commissioned by Webroot and conducted by e-Rewards.
A recent survey of IT decision-makers at small-to-medium sized businesses found that one-third of respondents plan to implement such security services by 2012.
Industry analysts have also projected a continued shift toward security services.
Comment by Chris Christiansen, Program Vice President, Security Products and Services, IDC: We are seeing considerable movement from security software to SaaS, especially for messaging and Web security. Customers demand more flexibility so practically every security vendor will offer a SaaS alternative to hardware-based appliances and software licenses. SaaS will move from its traditional strength in messaging and Web into other markets such as vulnerability and identity management.
In response the the surging demand, Webroot introduced a new version of its Web security service. Updates include new Web activity reports that enable IT administrators to better manage bandwidth usage and prevent "repeat policy offenders" from putting the company's network at risk. Enhancements also include a new reporting infrastructure that provides administrators with instant access to custom data at any level of granularity.
About the survey: The online survey fielded in April 2010 with 505 U.S. Web and email security decision-makers in companies with 10 to 999 seats. The survey was commissioned by Webroot and conducted by e-Rewards.
Survey Of Customers Convinces SAP To Launch Cloud, Virtualization Initiatives
Virtualization and cloud technologies are unstoppable, undeniable trends in today's data centers, according to an SAP survey of its customers.
A recent internal study among SAP customers found that 70 percent are actively evaluating virtual and cloud platforms. Virtualization and cloud computing continue to be the top two technology priorities for CIOs, according to Gartner.
The findings encouraged SAP to announce short and mid-term product and partner-related plans focused on cloud computing and virtualization management. As part of its product strategy, the company detailed a new solution designed to manage SAP system landscapes in data centers using modern virtual infrastructure and clouds.
Contact: http://www.sap.com
A recent internal study among SAP customers found that 70 percent are actively evaluating virtual and cloud platforms. Virtualization and cloud computing continue to be the top two technology priorities for CIOs, according to Gartner.
The findings encouraged SAP to announce short and mid-term product and partner-related plans focused on cloud computing and virtualization management. As part of its product strategy, the company detailed a new solution designed to manage SAP system landscapes in data centers using modern virtual infrastructure and clouds.
Contact: http://www.sap.com
Friday, October 8, 2010
Cloud Is A Strategic Direction For Most Companies
More than 60 percent of responders to a recent survey said that moving to the cloud for applications, infrastructure, integration and other solutions is a strategic direction for their organization. Thirty-five percent of cloud strategy decision makers were C-level executives with IT management owning the strategy in 41 percent of the cases.
Most of the companies involved in the survey are already deploying cloud-based solutions. One-third (36 percent) of those surveyed have implemented at least one cloud solution, with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ranking among 70 percent of respondents as the number one cloud platform implemented or planned for implementation. An additional 25 percent said they are considering moving some or all business processes to the cloud, illustrating that more than half of the survey respondents see the value of the cloud.
However, lack of clarity around cloud benefits was the top reason cited by respondents for not currently implementing cloud-based solutions. Despite the growing adoption of cloud-based solutions, companies still struggle to understand what the cloud is and how to use it.
The survey also showed that security, management and scalability are the top considerations for companies when evaluating whether or not to deploy cloud solutions, with 70 percent citing the ability to secure data as their top priority. Other high scoring considerations include the ability to quickly integrate with internal applications and external partner systems as well as a "pay as you go" pricing model.
Comment from Margaret Dawson, vice president of marketing and product management at Hubspan: This research validates what we are seeing in the market, with many IT departments looking to move applications and business processes to the cloud but doing so in a strategic, thoughtful manner. No matter what challenge you are trying to solve, one of the key benefits of the cloud is being able to start small and grow both from a cost and implementation perspective.
About the survey: The survey on cloud computing and "as a service" solutions was conducted by Hubspan Inc., a provider of cloud-based business integration solutions. More than 200 companies completed the cloud survey, ranging in size from under 50 to several thousand employees. Respondents represented a range of industries, with high-tech, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail and B2B eCommerce accounting for 50 percent of the polls.
Contact: http://www.hubspan.com
Most of the companies involved in the survey are already deploying cloud-based solutions. One-third (36 percent) of those surveyed have implemented at least one cloud solution, with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ranking among 70 percent of respondents as the number one cloud platform implemented or planned for implementation. An additional 25 percent said they are considering moving some or all business processes to the cloud, illustrating that more than half of the survey respondents see the value of the cloud.
However, lack of clarity around cloud benefits was the top reason cited by respondents for not currently implementing cloud-based solutions. Despite the growing adoption of cloud-based solutions, companies still struggle to understand what the cloud is and how to use it.
The survey also showed that security, management and scalability are the top considerations for companies when evaluating whether or not to deploy cloud solutions, with 70 percent citing the ability to secure data as their top priority. Other high scoring considerations include the ability to quickly integrate with internal applications and external partner systems as well as a "pay as you go" pricing model.
Comment from Margaret Dawson, vice president of marketing and product management at Hubspan: This research validates what we are seeing in the market, with many IT departments looking to move applications and business processes to the cloud but doing so in a strategic, thoughtful manner. No matter what challenge you are trying to solve, one of the key benefits of the cloud is being able to start small and grow both from a cost and implementation perspective.
About the survey: The survey on cloud computing and "as a service" solutions was conducted by Hubspan Inc., a provider of cloud-based business integration solutions. More than 200 companies completed the cloud survey, ranging in size from under 50 to several thousand employees. Respondents represented a range of industries, with high-tech, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail and B2B eCommerce accounting for 50 percent of the polls.
Contact: http://www.hubspan.com
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Fewer Than Half Of South African SMEs Use Cloud Applications And Simple CRM
Half as many South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use Cloud CRM systems compared with the rest of the world, a survey has found.
Cloud CRM systems only account for 15 percent of the cloud applications used by South African SMEs.
From a sample of 272 respondents, primarily from small and medium-sized organizations with less than 250 employees, 53 percent reported increased confidence in Cloud applications in the last 12 months. This is mirrored by the 56 percent who agreed that Cloud applications have been made a more attractive proposition by the current state of the economy.
The survey questioned SME business owners, directors, sales, marketing and IT managers, on their views of Cloud Applications and the reliability of the products currently available in the market, and then compared the results with similar global surveys. Conducted by AdvanceNet Africa's leading simple CRM provider, the survey, coupled with findings from web-based CRM provider Really Simple Systems' previous global survey, have together shown a similarity in responses covering two main factors in relation to Cloud systems. Respondents from both surveys agreed that Cloud systems require less IT support and that almost all SMEs would be spending as much, if not more on IT in the coming 12 months.
In South Africa, Cloud-based systems are less trusted with 40 percent more SMEs believing they were unreliable and some 37 percent of respondents considering that their data was less secure with Cloud applications. Furthermore only 34 percent consider Cloud applications to be better value when compared to the 43 percent shown in the global survey.
Globally, Cloud CRM Systems have almost completely caught up with in-house CRM for SMEs, with 41 percent of respondents now using web-based CRM as opposed to 42 percent using in-house CRM. 58 percent of South Africans SMEs, however, are using in-house systems compared with just 15 percent using cloud-based applications.
The number of respondents not using any CRM system in South Africa stands at 30.7 percent, twice as high when compared with the rest of the world.
Lastly, 50 percent of those questioned planned to spend more on IT in the next 12 months than they had done over the last 12 months, compared with 37 percent in the rest of the world.
Comment from Phil Hemsley, managing director of AdvanceNet: Although this survey shows that African companies are more cautious about Cloud applications than their international counterparts, we believe that the same advantages of ease of use, rapid implementation and low cost will drive user adoption of simple CRM over the next year. Although there are still a lot of SMEs yet to realize the benefits of a simple CRM system, I do not think this should be of particular concern to SME vendors looking to operate in the South African Market. We have seen interest pick up markedly in the last couple of years and I look forward to seeing the results of this survey when we run it again in a year's time.
Comment from John Paterson, CEO of Really Simple Systems: It is encouraging to see that SMEs in South Africa see the value of investing in IT to move the company forward, despite the economic instability that has affected spend on business resources in the last few years.
Contact: http://www.advancenet.co.za
Contact: http://www.reallysimplesystems.com
Cloud CRM systems only account for 15 percent of the cloud applications used by South African SMEs.
From a sample of 272 respondents, primarily from small and medium-sized organizations with less than 250 employees, 53 percent reported increased confidence in Cloud applications in the last 12 months. This is mirrored by the 56 percent who agreed that Cloud applications have been made a more attractive proposition by the current state of the economy.
The survey questioned SME business owners, directors, sales, marketing and IT managers, on their views of Cloud Applications and the reliability of the products currently available in the market, and then compared the results with similar global surveys. Conducted by AdvanceNet Africa's leading simple CRM provider, the survey, coupled with findings from web-based CRM provider Really Simple Systems' previous global survey, have together shown a similarity in responses covering two main factors in relation to Cloud systems. Respondents from both surveys agreed that Cloud systems require less IT support and that almost all SMEs would be spending as much, if not more on IT in the coming 12 months.
In South Africa, Cloud-based systems are less trusted with 40 percent more SMEs believing they were unreliable and some 37 percent of respondents considering that their data was less secure with Cloud applications. Furthermore only 34 percent consider Cloud applications to be better value when compared to the 43 percent shown in the global survey.
Globally, Cloud CRM Systems have almost completely caught up with in-house CRM for SMEs, with 41 percent of respondents now using web-based CRM as opposed to 42 percent using in-house CRM. 58 percent of South Africans SMEs, however, are using in-house systems compared with just 15 percent using cloud-based applications.
The number of respondents not using any CRM system in South Africa stands at 30.7 percent, twice as high when compared with the rest of the world.
Lastly, 50 percent of those questioned planned to spend more on IT in the next 12 months than they had done over the last 12 months, compared with 37 percent in the rest of the world.
Comment from Phil Hemsley, managing director of AdvanceNet: Although this survey shows that African companies are more cautious about Cloud applications than their international counterparts, we believe that the same advantages of ease of use, rapid implementation and low cost will drive user adoption of simple CRM over the next year. Although there are still a lot of SMEs yet to realize the benefits of a simple CRM system, I do not think this should be of particular concern to SME vendors looking to operate in the South African Market. We have seen interest pick up markedly in the last couple of years and I look forward to seeing the results of this survey when we run it again in a year's time.
Comment from John Paterson, CEO of Really Simple Systems: It is encouraging to see that SMEs in South Africa see the value of investing in IT to move the company forward, despite the economic instability that has affected spend on business resources in the last few years.
Contact: http://www.advancenet.co.za
Contact: http://www.reallysimplesystems.com
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Comm Service Providers Face Major Obstacles To Realizing Telecom Potential
Communications service providers (CSPs) know there are a ton of opportunities for market growth and operating efficiencies, through better customer service delivery, network optimization and process automation, but they are less optimistic about being able to take advantage of them, according to new research.
The research surveyed executive and senior management from a range of CSPs from diverse geographies and across multiple service sectors including wireless, consumer broadband, and enterprise and wholesale.
While many were positive about the potential of new technologies and services to attract and retain customers, they were less confident about their ability to deal with increasing complexity.
Particular concerns included: how to manage services that span multiple providers' networks; intelligent mechanisms to offload booming wireless broadband traffic to fixed networks; and the limitations of CRM for understanding complex service/device/network information.
The research surveyed executive and senior management from a range of CSPs from diverse geographies and across multiple service sectors including wireless, consumer broadband, and enterprise and wholesale.
While many were positive about the potential of new technologies and services to attract and retain customers, they were less confident about their ability to deal with increasing complexity.
Particular concerns included: how to manage services that span multiple providers' networks; intelligent mechanisms to offload booming wireless broadband traffic to fixed networks; and the limitations of CRM for understanding complex service/device/network information.
Digital Marketers Adopt SaaS Almost Universally
Digital marketers are quickly adopting Software as a Service (SaaS) tools to rapidly manage and optimize their efforts, according to a new study.
In fact, 100 percent of those surveyed were using at least one Software-as-a-Service-based software tool as part of their day to day operations.
Some of the other key findings included:
– The top priorities for SaaS tools for digital marketers in 2011 are Web Content Management and Content Testing & Targeting: When asked which tools were being considered as an addition to their suite, 57 percent of marketers responded that Content Testing & Targeting was a top priority. Web Content Management placed second, with 43 percent saying it was a priority.
– Of all of the tools listed, Web Analytics had the highest percentage of penetration – with more than 90 percent of the respondents saying that their Web Analytics tool was delivered via a SaaS based model.
– Web Analytics and Web Content Management have the biggest impact on digital marketers' ability to manage their campaigns. 67 percent and 57 percent (respectively) of the respondents said that Web Analytics and WebContent Management were two SaaS based tools that had big impact on their ability to optimize their digital marketing strategy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Only 14% Of Companies Have Virtualized Mission-Critical Applications
There is a significant gap in the pace of adoption of virtualization for non-critical systems versus mission-critical systems, according to a poll of company executives.
In particular, the results show that the majority of companies have yet to move Tier 1, mission-critical applications to virtual environments. Despite widely acknowledging the benefits of virtualization, most companies noted that they need more evidence that mission-critical applications will succeed in virtual environments.
While 83 percent report they have virtualized their non-critical applications and systems, in stark contrast, only 14 percent of respondents reported that they have fully virtualized "Tier 1" applications. With regard to those mission-critical applications, respondents said they were 50 percent more likely to virtualize applications used by employees than to virtualize the applications that directly interact with customers.
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