“In truth, however,” said Mortell, “when it comes to security and compliance, all of the major cloud service providers put significant investment in ensuring their platforms are robust and trustworthy. As a result, trust of the cloud is at an all-time high.”
Deployments
In terms of what Irish organisations actually put in the cloud, in a select all that apply question, the top workload was email/unified communications at 68%, followed by customer relationship management (50%), desktop applications and content management/distribution tied on 36%, with business continuity on 35%. Also of note was billing and payment systems at 24%, but the other category also figured at 24% where HR/HCM was notable, as was project management.
With the looming GDPR deadline, data governance is high on the agenda for users of cloud services. Respondents were asked if the legal jurisdiction in which data is held affected the choice of cloud service provider. More than half (53%) said always, while more than quarter (27%) said sometimes, while only one in five said not at all.
“We expect to see organisations pay more attention to legal jurisdiction,” said Mortell. “GDPR is concerned solely with personal data and of course, not all businesses deal with individuals’ data. Those that do, however, need to ensure they have very strict guidelines in place as to where their data can and cannot go.”
As security was highlighted as a top concern in previous questions, respondents were asked if data residing in the cloud had ever been accessed or tampered with due to a security breach. The vast majority (84%) said no, there had never been a breach in either public or private cloud data resulting in access or tampering.
Security breaches
Just 2% reported that they had experienced a security breach in using public cloud services, with the same reporting a breach when using private cloud. Just one respondent said that a breach had occurred in a hybrid environment.
This is particularly illuminating with respect to the results around concerns for security of the cloud. Despite security being specified by most as their top concern, the real-world experience would suggest that such fears, while not unfounded, are not supported by the facts. When combined with the reputation results, it again suggests that service providers need to address such concerns with commensurate measures and good communication for potential users, to understand the risks and mitigate them.
The overall picture from the survey is one of a greater acceptance of the benefits of cloud computing, with adoption rates and concerns being affected by increasing usage and derived advantage. As providers refine their offerings, develop new capabilities and improve interoperability, it is clear that the market is not only receptive but expectant.
Competitive advantage
It is perhaps telling though, that among the perceived benefits, competitive advantage was rated so low. With the likes of disaster recovery rating so highly, it betrays an attitude that has not yet fully accepted the potential of cloud services. The ability to deploy quickly, flexibly and reliably, combine to give organisation’s extraordinary power to take advantage of emerging markets, new business models and changing demand. A focus on using cloud services for mere infrastructural advantage is not fully leveraging its value.
In the current world climate of uncertainty, on many fronts, this particular toolbox provides enterprise with a powerful means of combating potential risk, while also leveraging every new opportunity, but only if used as such.
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