Hybrid cloud – where some resources are provided in-house and others externally – is the next step in the evolution of cloud architecture, with adoption among enterprises more than doubling by 2015, according to a new report from Infonetics Research.
Improved performance, enabling agile response to business needs, improving scalability, and speeding up application deployment ranked as the top four drivers of cloud adoption among enterprises, according to Infonetics’, “Cloud Service Strategies: North American Enterprise Survey.”
“The transformation to the cloud is spelling disruption and opportunity for network equipment vendors, who would be wise to demonstrate how their offerings can be part of a hybrid cloud environment where interoperability between network management, server virtualization, and data center orchestration platforms are critical factors for success,” Infonetics’ directing analyst for data center and cloud Cliff Grossner, Ph.D. was quoted in a press release.
Highlights of the report include:
- Among Infonetics’ enterprise survey respondents, the top drivers for cloud adoption are performance, agility, scalability, and cost reduction
- Enterprises’ mix of cloud services is changing: Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and cloud-as-a-service (CaaS) have the largest increases in adoption between 2013 and 2015
- Just over half of respondents believe that shifting to the cloud will make it necessary to consider alternate network vendors
- 83% of enterprises surveyed rate service and support a very important criterion for choosing a cloud service provider, followed closely by experience and pricing structure
- Cloud adoption is impacting enterprise IT investments, with not only the WAN—but also the LAN—high on the list for upgrades
