Research: 64% using or considering industry cloud services
With more specialized applications and tailored services, industry cloud, which targets vertical industries, has won over tech professionals. In a recent TechRepublic Premium survey, 64% of respondents said they either already use industry cloud services or plan to adopt it in the next 12 months. Of respondents, only 18% have no plans to consider or adopt industry cloud services.
Despite the bells and whistles that industry cloud service vendors promote, respondents consider many additional factors. Not surprisingly, most survey respondents based their decisions on operational cost or security/data protection. Speed and agility was another popular consideration for more than half (54%) of respondents; while 44% said implementation cost was an important selection factor. Other factors ranked as important when choosing an industry cloud service included regulatory/industry compliance, vendor industry experience, and whether a vendor provides a turnkey system for a specific industry.
SEE: Serverless computing: A guide for IT leaders (TechRepublic Premium)
Annual budgets for industry cloud services varied significantly, topping out more than $1 million with some reporting in at less than $10,000.
With 61% of survey respondents citing easy management/administration, and 54% citing secure data protection as positive outcomes, it's no surprise that so many organizations are embracing this type of cloud service. Other industry cloud service benefits recognized by respondents include simpler cloud migration/adoption, more agile business processes, lower cost, and industry-specific turnkey core systems, not to mention simplified regulatory and industry compliance.
However, not all respondents were fond of their industry cloud services. Some (41%) had difficulty integrating industry cloud services with existing business processes, and 37% faced migration and adoption challenges. Further, 31% of respondents cited cost as a negative factor, and 20% cited complex management and administration. A smaller percentage (19%) experienced complex management and administration, outages, poor service, and services not working as expected. Eleven percent stated that their industry cloud services were more difficult to use than expected.
The infographic below contains selected details from the research. To access more findings, plus analysis, download the Industry cloud report: Businesses adopt industry-specific cloud solutions (TechRepublic Premium).
Also see
- Hybrid cloud: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
- Top cloud providers 2019: AWS, Microsoft, Azure, Google Cloud; IBM makes hybrid move; Salesforce dominates SaaS (ZDNet)
- Hybrid cloud: A guide for IT pros (TechRepublic download)
- Salesforce dominates SaaS (ZDNet)
- Best cloud services for small businesses (CNET)
- Microsoft Office vs Google Docs Suite vs LibreOffice (Download.com)
- Cloud computing: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic on Flipboard)