Complexity of cloud environments is causing IT headaches
By Adam Freill
Construction SoftwareAptum study finds lack of visibility and understanding of cloud infrastructure keeping full benefits of cloud from being realized.
(Image courtesy of Aptum)
While the vast majority of IT workers are happy with their company’s rate of cloud transformation, challenges remain around the management and optimization of cloud spending. Those were a few of the key points in the annual Cloud Impact Study 2023 – Clear Skies Ahead: Avoiding Chaos in the Cloud released by Aptum, a global provider of managed services and advisory and consulting services.
The company says that 98 per cent of respondents surveyed for the study were satisfied with the rate at which cloud services have been implemented, but not all were happy with the complexities experienced, especially in hybrid cloud environments.
The study reveals that organizations are continuing to invest in hybrid and multi-cloud environments, with 59 per cent of respondents using a combination of public and private cloud services. This hybrid approach, says Aptum, 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 admitting to a lack of visibility into cloud cost and performance.
Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of survey respondents stated that cloud costs are higher than expected in their organization, while 34 per cent agreed that improving cloud analytics and reporting is a top priority for the year ahead.
Organizations rushed to implement cloud services during the pandemic, which has some of those surveyed paying a price for implementing cloud without the benefit of a comprehensive management strategy. Key challenges listed by respondents included:
- Integration (42 per cent)
- Delivering cost predictability (36 per cent)
- Lack of skills (33 per cent)
- Changes in technology (33 per cent)
“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,” stated Aptum’s CEO Susan Bowen. “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.”
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, suggests Aptum, adding that an understanding of what these are will allow businesses to appropriately locate their workloads to suit their needs.
To see the full findings from part one of Aptum’s Cloud Impact Study 2023, click here to access the report.
