industry news
Gartner says by
2020 ‘cloud shift’ will
affect more than $1
trillion in IT spending
More than $1 trillion in IT spending
will be directly or indirectly affected
by the shift to cloud during the next
five years, according to Gartner.
This will make cloud computing one
of the most disruptive forces of IT
spending since the early days of
the digital age.
‘Cloud-first strategies are the
foundation for staying relevant
in a fast paced world,’ said
Ed Anderson, research vice
president at Gartner. ‘The market
for cloud services has grown to
such an extent that it is now a
notable percentage of total IT
spending, helping to create a new
generation of start-ups and “born
in the cloud” providers.’
IT spending is steadily shifting
from traditional IT offerings to
cloud services (cloud shift). The
aggregate amount of cloud shift
in 2016 is estimated to reach
$111bn, increasing to $216bn
in 2020. Cloud shift rates are
determined by comparing IT
spending on cloud services with
traditional non-cloud services in the
same market categories.
In addition to the direct effects
of cloud shift, many markets will
be affected indirectly. Identifying
indirect effects can help IT asset
and purchasing managers ensure
they are getting the best value
out of new expenditure and are
protected against risk, as well as
assisting them to exploit the new
opportunities caused by cloud shift.
8
Survey reveals company data is more important to IT decision
makers than personal photos, holidays or their wedding rings
A new independent international survey commissioned by Arcserve has revealed that IT
decision makers are more concerned about having access to their corporate data than losing
personal photos, their wedding rings or holiday entitlement.
The survey, carried out by Vanson Bourne, asked 500 IT decision makers in France,
Germany, the UK and the US to rank 24/7 access to business critical data, one month of
holiday entitlement, personal photos and their wedding rings in order of importance.
Thirty-eight per cent of all respondents said that ensuring they can access company data
at all times is their highest priority, followed by their wedding rings (24 per cent), holiday
entitlement (19 per cent) and personal photos (18 per cent).
The survey also revealed major differences between the individual countries. Nearly a third
of UK based IT decision makers (31 per cent) put personal photos in the number one spot,
followed by corporate data (28 per cent) and their wedding rings (26 per cent). Only 15 per
cent consider their holiday entitlement to be more important than the other options.
In the US, the highest priority for IT decision makers is their wedding rings at 31 per cent.
Like in the UK, corporate data comes second at 29 per cent, followed by holiday entitlement
(22 per cent) and personal photos (19 per cent).
The results from continental Europe paint a different picture. In both France and Germany,
over half of the respondents (52 per cent and 55 per cent respectively) said that making
sure their corporate data was always available and accessible was more important than their
wedding rings, personal photos or holiday entitlement.
Pat Clarke, vice president, sales, EMEA/APAC at Arcserve, said, ‘While these results may
simply be a reflection of natural cultural differences, they could also be an indication of actual
gaps in the market place offering the industry vendors growth opportunities.’
SURVEY OF 1,002 IT DECISION MAKERS
REVEALS ATTITUDES TOWARDS FLASH
Research by NetApp has found that despite the cost of Flash technology decreasing, it is
perceived by 40 per cent of senior decision makers as being too expensive to invest in.
Despite this, 90 per cent admitted there was a need for Flash within their businesses. IT decision
makers revealed that one in four financial decision makers (24.3 per cent) within enterprises do not
have sufficient understanding of the benefits of Flash technology to make an investment.
The survey of 1,002 IT decision makers across the UK revealed that the cost barrier is
prevalent among 38 per cent of smaller and bigger businesses – but is more common among
medium sized businesses (40 per cent). The cost barrier is most pronounced among IT decision
makers in arts and culture (72.2 per cent), HR (55 per cent), and sales, media and marketing
(52.8 per cent) organisations, who perceive cost as the biggest barrier to Flash.
Laurence James, NEMEA products, alliances and solutions manager at NetApp said,
‘Our research shows that while the business value of Flash in terms of performance and
responsiveness is understood by IT decision makers, education on the true value of Flash needs
to continue further up the chain. Flash is a long term investment that can transform business
performance and should not be analysed in terms of capital investment alone.’