Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 12 | Page 44

CIO OPINION CIO opinion CIO OPINION “ TODAY, CIOS NEED TO BE MUCH MORE DELIBERATE AND THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE IMPACT OF OUTAGES ON END USERS AND CUSTOMERS. ////////////////// Yousuf Khan, CIO, Pure Storage Public cloud: part of the strategy for MEA organisations but not the strategy Yousuf Khan, CIO at Pure Storage draws upon MEA data from the recent Evolution survey to advocate for a hybrid cloud approach. F or consumers and businesses alike, digital technology has proven disruptive. Consumers can, in theory, embrace or reject the trend as they see fit. But a reluctance to embrace digital technologies can leave organisations falling behind competitors. The good news is that enterprises in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) are already making strides in this area. In a recent survey we conducted, of 500 IT decision makers in the region, 73% of respondents stated that their organisations are committed to being information-based companies. In fact, the survey found that digital solutions already contribute almost half (47% on average) of revenue in these companies. It is often the responsibility of IT leaders to innovate in line with the business’ digital vision, without breaking the bank. In response to this pressure, over the past several years, public cloud has seen increased adoption across a multitude of industries. The demand for simpler storage, combined with an unprecedented explosion of data, has created the perception of an unstoppable drive toward the public cloud. A ‘cloud-first’ strategy is the popular buzzword for executive leadership. But it’s important to understand what that really means. 44 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com