Cloud computing goes hybrid as the norm: AWS, VMware, Azure duke it out

Hybrid cloud strategies are proliferating in the enterprise as 71 percent of companies adopt a mix of public and private compute resources, but more struggle with optimizing costs, according to a survey from RightScale.

RightScale, which manages cloud deployments, surveyed 1,000 respondents. Of that group, 17 percent of respondents were RightScale users.

The annual survey highlighted a bevy of issues as well as standings for cloud players. Among the key items:

• 77 percent of respondents adopted a private cloud, up from 63 percent.
• 95 percent of companies are using infrastructure as a service.

• Lack of expertise and resources is the biggest challenge cited by companies. Security had been the No. 1 challenge.

• Cost management is a significant challenge to 26 percent of respondents and few companies are using optimization strategies.

• Docker adoption was 27 percent in the latest survey, up from 13 percent a year ago.
• Amazon Web Services is used by 57 percent of respondents, flat with a year ago. Enterprise adoption surged to 56 percent, up from 50 percent. Microsoft's Azure is used by 20 percent of respondents.
• OpenStack and VMware vCloud are tied at 19 percent adoption among respondents.
• Enterprises plan on using multiple clouds and the percentages by type remained static for 2016 compared to 2015. However, 16 percent of respondents said they will use multiple public clouds in 2016, up from 13 percent the year before. That gain came at the expense of companies suing multiple private clouds (11 percent in 2016 vs. 14 percent in 2015).

• Central IT is getting a larger role in the cloud decision-making process from business units. For instance, 47 percent of central IT groups decide and advise on which apps to go the cloud, up from 44 percent a year ago; 44 percent pick private clouds, up from 35 percent a year ago; and 44 percent of policies are chosen by central IT, up from 31 percent a year ago.

More:

• Moving to IaaS: An overview
• Research: 67 percent report budget reduction with IaaS implementation
• Executive's guide to IaaS (free ebook)
• Video: Infrastructure as a Service, a Q&A with the Editors
• Finding the ideal IaaS provider
• How cloud computing changes (almost) everything about the skills you need
• Cloud financials as a catalyst for business culture upheaval
• Playing with the building blocks of the cloud: Getting IaaS right