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Hybrid cloud demand: 68 percent of companies using or considering

The hybrid cloud is an option that more companies are turning to as they recognize the need for a combination of public and private cloud options for storing data. Find out the latest in Tech Pro Research's new report.
Written by Teena Maddox, Contributor

The hybrid cloud is gaining in demand as companies recognize the need to store data in the cloud.

Tech Pro Research's February 2016 survey on the hybrid cloud shows that it has touched virtually every industry vertical and every geographical region, and companies both large and small. Sometimes it has been companies making conscious decisions to move to the cloud, and in other instances it has been vendors pushing companies into the cloud because it's the only way that a company can use a vendor application.

Regardless of how companies get there, there's definite acceptance of the hybrid cloud. Tech Pro Research's research report on the topic, Hybrid Cloud: Deployment, drivers, strategies and value, revealed that 88 percent of respondents are familiar with the concept of a hybrid cloud.

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Image: Teena Maddox/Tech Pro Research

As Tech Pro Research author Mary Shacklett reports, "Whether or not these respondents understand the technical mechanics of a full-bodied hybrid cloud, most understand the business value proposition that the hybrid cloud concept offers. With a hybrid cloud philosophy, business and IT decision makers know that they can tap into different IT resources, whether internal or external, for services. For example, if you want a certain vendor's HR/benefits system and the vendor only offers a version of the system in the cloud, it might make sense to join the vendor's cloud to obtain the capabilities that you want. If you are running out of storage for your data but you don't want to invest in more storage for data that is seldom used, considering a public cloud vendor with secure storage and strong governance can be a practical, convenient and economical way to address the problem."

Who has implemented a hybrid cloud solution

It's important to consider who has actually implemented a hybrid cloud solution. Of the survey respondents, 36 percent said they have implemented a hybrid cloud strategy, while another 32 percent said they are considering it. The remaining 32 percent said that they have no plans to use a hybrid cloud.

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Image: Teena Maddox/Tech Pro Research

Hybrid cloud projections

The survey revealed that 69 percent of respondents who are using or considering hybrid cloud will be more than 50 percent hybrid cloud based within the next five years. Only 1 percent plan to stop using, or not initiate using, cloud within the next five years.

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Image: Teena Maddox/Tech Pro Research

Shacklett said, "it is noteworthy that 31 percent of respondents said it is doubtful that they will place a majority of their applications in the cloud. More than likely, this reflects the importance for companies of all sizes to maintain their most mission-critical applications in-house, under the direct guidance of their own security and governance."

Other topics covered in the report include:

  • How vendors can help further hybrid cloud strategies
  • Cloud applications that are difficult to deploy
  • Trust levels
  • Biggest challenges
  • Leading vendors
  • Positive cloud experiences
  • Negative cloud experiences

Download the full Tech Pro Research report, Hybrid Cloud: Deployment, drivers, strategies and value, to find out the latest on this important topic.

Tech Pro Research is the premium content sister site to ZDNet and TechRepublic.

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