SADA Systems Survey: Public Cloud More Secure Than Corporate Data Centers

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 11, 2016) - SADA Systems announces the results of a survey of enterprise IT professionals. Conducted online this month, SADA's survey asked 200+ IT managers about their use of public cloud services. The key takeaway was that IT managers are more confident in the security and reliability of public cloud than they used to be, and as a result they are running more data and applications on public cloud infrastructure.

Earlier this year, Morgan Stanley predicted that worldwide spending on public cloud services would grow from $70 billion in 2015 to more than $141 billion in 2019. Meanwhile, Gartner has forecasted that by 2020, more compute power will be sold via the cloud than what is deployed in customers' on-premises data centers. Microsoft's announcement last month that revenue from its public cloud infrastructure service had doubled over the past year would seem to support these assertions, as would its claim that 80 percent of big banks are using Microsoft Azure, the company's public cloud product.

While public cloud now seems like a foregone conclusion, that wasn't always the case. Enterprise IT has always been concerned with public cloud security and reliability. But today, IT professionals are apparently much more comfortable with the idea of running critical data and systems on public cloud infrastructure. According to SADA's survey, 51 percent of IT managers said data security is better in the cloud than in their own data centers, and 58 percent said public cloud was the most secure, flexible and cost-effective solution for their organizations.

However, managing public cloud resources remains a challenge for many companies. The majority (43 percent) of IT pros surveyed by SADA said they have and will continue to use third-party consultants to manage their public cloud infrastructure. A full 45 percent said it was more cost-effective to outsource these activities, while 20 percent said a third-party could help right-size their public cloud environments, control costs and drive internal adoption of cloud resources. Another reason companies are outsourcing public cloud management: 16 percent of IT pros said they simply don't have the skills in-house.

Other interesting findings from SADA's Summer 2016 Public Cloud Survey include:

• 84 percent of respondents are using public cloud infrastructure today. Google Cloud Platform was the most popular (49 percent), followed by Microsoft Azure (48 percent) and Amazon Web Services (42 percent)
• 45 percent of companies said it took 3-6 months to migrate to public cloud, while 23 percent said it took less than three months
• 50 percent of respondents said they're likely to increase their use of public cloud by at least 25 percent over the next 2-3 years, and 25 percent of respondents would increase their use by 50 percent over the same time period
• 58 percent cited the ability to ramp up or dial back their use of infrastructure as the primary driver for increased public cloud usage, while 51 percent said public cloud would save them money on equipment, facilities and staffing
• 51 percent said concerns about data security prevented them from adopting public cloud sooner, 40 percent said the delay was due to concerns about stability and public cloud's long-term viability, and 33 percent were concerned with costs escalating beyond their control
  
  

"All signs point to public cloud adoption growing and enterprise IT becoming more comfortable with the prospect of running their most sensitive data on public cloud infrastructure," says Tony Safoian, president and CEO at SADA Systems. "Security and reliability will always be primary concerns -- as they should -- and companies should lean on expert consultants and integrators to guide them in addressing these issues. The convenience of public cloud, coupled with easy access to proven resources for managing these environments, make the option of moving to public cloud too compelling to ignore."

The complete SADA Systems Summer 2016 Public Cloud Survey can be found here.

About SADA Systems
SADA Systems, Inc. is a privately-held global leader in providing cloud computing and strategic IT solutions to organizations worldwide. As a Google for Work Premier Partner and a Microsoft National Solutions Provider, SADA Systems is an award winning service provider with proven expertise in enterprise consulting, cloud platform migration, custom application development, managed services, user adoption and change management. Recognized on the INC 5000 America's Fastest Growing Private Companies for 9 years, CRN's MSP Elite 150 and SP500, and one of the 2015 Best Places to Work in Los Angeles, SADA prides itself on continuous innovation, strong partnerships and exceptional customer service.