Data from Aptum study finds a lack of a visibility and understanding of cloud infrastructure is resulting in the benefits of cloud not being realized
Aptum, a global provider of Managed Services and Advisory & Consulting Services, today released part one of its annual Cloud Impact Study 2023 – Clear Skies Ahead: Avoiding Chaos in the Cloud. The vast majority (98%) of respondents in the latest Cloud Impact Study are satisfied with the rate of cloud transformation in their organization. However, clear challenges remain around the management and optimization of cloud spending.
The study canvassed the opinions of 400 senior IT professionals from organizations with 250+ employees across the U.S., Canada, and UK to better understand the business drivers behind their cloud computing infrastructure and overcome complexities that inhibit the realization of benefits cloud can deliver.
As organizations rushed to implement cloud services during the pandemic, many are paying the price for implementing cloud without the benefit of a comprehensive management strategy. Respondents list key challenges as:
- Integration (42%)
- Delivering cost predictability (36%)
- Lack of skills (33%)
- Changes in technology (33%)
The study reveals that organizations are continuing to invest in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, with 59% of respondents using a combination of public and private cloud services. However, the complexity of a hybrid cloud environment is causing organizations to face several hurdles, with respondents stating that complexity is a key issue holding back the adoption of more advanced cloud technologies, and many organizations admit to a lack of visibility into cloud cost and performance. Almost three quarters (73%) of survey respondents state that cloud costs are higher than expected in their organization, while 34% agree that improving cloud analytics and reporting is a top priority for the year ahead.
“It is clear from our survey that, despite living in a time of great economic uncertainty, businesses still understand the need to embrace digital transformation and invest in the cloud. In recent years cloud has become an integral part of most enterprise IT strategies, and our survey shows that the majority of IT leaders say they have delivered business value from cloud. However, there are potential challenges ahead that organizations need to mitigate. Cloud technology continues to enable agility, scalability, cost savings, and remote work – all essential components for business continuity and growth in turbulent times. But, if not managed effectively with a holistic approach, the benefits of cloud can be missed.” – Susan Bowen, CEO and President, Aptum Group
The results from the survey call for organizations to approach their cloud deployment and ecosystems with business objectives and optimization at the forefront of their goals. Understanding what these are will allow businesses to appropriately locate their workloads to suit their needs. To save time, money and resources, businesses should employ the help of a hybrid and multi-cloud specialist provider with the expertise and skills needed to optimize and deploy cloud computing strategies.
To see the full findings from part one of Aptum’s Cloud Impact Study 2023, click here to access the report.