In the beginning, there was Software as a Service (SaaS), which evolved into the first-generation Cloud applications (Salesforce, etc.).
IT executives were a bit skeptical at first, but they soon embraced the concept of software in the Cloud as they realized that they could get the same or better response from “virtual” software without the headache of managing it.
Today, the industry is talking about moving more than software into the Cloud. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) promises to do for hardware what SaaS did for software, by moving physical computing and storage resources from the data center into the Cloud as a way to drive down cost and management complexity. But are IT executives ready to hand over their big black boxes to the Cloud? We asked them that question in a recent survey, and found some surprising (and not so surprising) answers…
Nearly half of all enterprises are currently using an IaaS solution in their business.
In a world where server and storage virtualization is commonplace, our survey revealed that nearly half of all enterprises have already begun to take the next step by moving their infrastructure from a premise-based virtual environment to a Cloud-based virtual environment. Some of those enterprises are relying on IaaS for all of their infrastructure, while others maintain a hybrid approach with a mix of premise- and Cloud-based infrastructure.
Web servers, email, CRM and ERP top the list for IaaS applications.
Enterprises predictably put applications that need to reach a broad audience into the Cloud, led by web servers and email. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and customer relationship management (CRM) applications such as Salesforce are also logical choices given the need for remote access to these applications outside the office walls. Conversely, enterprises rank security and databases as the two applications that are least appropriate for IaaS, although that’s expected to change as the Cloud matures and sheds its reputation as a security risk, which brings us to the next point…
Security is the #1 risk in using an IaaS provider.
Our survey found that security remains the top concern for enterprises when weighing IaaS as an option. (Compliance came in a distant second.) Surprisingly, few enterprises viewed quality, cost or corporate acceptance as a stumbling block when considering IaaS, suggesting that Cloud-based platforms are widely perceived as a viable and cost-effective alternative to premise-based solutions.
Very few enterprises expect IaaS to affect their IT staffing or skills.
Less than 10% of IT executives believed that IaaS would have a big impact on their IT staffing and skills, while 3X that number believe that IaaS would have little or no impact on those areas. This is good news for CIOs that are looking for innovation without disruption, and reinforces the idea that moving infrastructure into the Cloud allows IT departments to re-engage their existing staff and skills on more important projects than maintaining hardware.
Want to know more about IaaS? Take the next step and join us for an informative webinar on December 12th at 10AM to learn how enterprises are using VMware’s vCloud Air to build virtual, on-demand Private Cloud platforms. ▪