Cloud Barriers Fall But Challenges Rise

By all accounts, cloud computing is the future of the IT industry, touching every business and consumer in some way, shape or form. That is not to say every IT function will be transformed over to the cloud, nor should they be, but application by application businesses are embracing cloud technologies because of the low barrier to entry, efficiency and flexibility it creates.

However, as with every technology advancement, the movement to the cloud faces some challenges. Here is where solutions providers come in and why their involvement is so critical.

In fact, 90 percent of organizations are using some sort of cloud computing, according to CompTIA’s Fifth Annual Trends in Cloud Computing study. But, as I stated earlier, there is a catch—and that catch spells huge opportunities for solution providers.

“This may come as a surprise to some firms, as they may hold an expectation that the initial migration and integration posed the largest obstacles to smooth cloud operations,” said Seth Robinson, senior director, Technology Analysis at CompTIA, in a prepared statement. Even those companies that have embraced cloud computing are finding challenges as they progress further, the study states. That is why it is solution providers' job to work hand in hand through every stage of IT deployment.

According to the study, 28 percent of those companies that have moved from the first stage of deployment to a non-critical use stage said the transition required significant effort. Further, 63 percent of those companies moving from the full production stage to an IT transformational phase said it required significant effort. In other words, it’s difficult and they need help.

“The bulk of the cost and effort for any IT project is typically consumed by integration and cloud computing is no different,” Robinson said. “If anything, cloud integration may be even more challenging, as it requires web APIs that may be unfamiliar to the technical team. Integration may be further complicated by lines of business procuring their own applications without being aware of how they will fit into the overall system.”

Regardless of the difficult transition, companies are reaping the benefits of cloud computing and, as a result, continue to move forward, according to CompTIA.

More companies are relying on cloud computing for everyday business processes, with 59 percent for storage, 48 percent for business continuity and disaster recovery, and 44 percent for security, according to CompTIA’s study. Further, 44 percent of organizations surveyed said they expanding their cloud migration.

Other highlights from the survey show:

• 44 percent of companies say they’ve moved either infrastructure or applications from one public cloud to another;
• 25 percent moved from a public cloud into a private cloud; and
• 24 percent moved from a public cloud back to an on premise system.

“The primary takeaway from all this movement is that no one model is the best answer for every workload,” Robinson said. “Companies will be utilizing every type of system as they find the multi-cloud approach that works for the them.”

Smart solution providers will see this as long-term opportunity.

Knock 'em alive!