Survey: The Managed Cloud Providers Solution – Oddly, In-House Server Pros Know Little About ‘IT’

According to a new poll from Spiceworks, a lion share
of IT professionals overlook managed cloud providers 

Click for poll results

The new survey indicates that the majority of in-house IT professionals still know little about this newer approach to managed hosted services like data storage. The survey indicated that nearly 80% of IT pros administer their infrastructure with an on-premise solution – this includes private cloud solutions and data centers. Of that, nearly 60% indicated that they were only “somewhat familiar” with managed cloud providers.

Presently, there are a myriad of ways to establish an optimal IT environ. In reality, what is optimal for one business may not be so for another. So while some businesses elect to remain loyal to in-house servers and IT infrastructure, others leap into cloud computing.  Both broad solution paths are increasingly complex and deploying each is not without its challenges. Interestingly, many of the hurdles mentioned by those with an in-house solution could be resolved by partnering with the right managed cloud services provider.

Knowledge of managed cloud providers is power

Of the IT professionals who were at least somewhat familiar with managed cloud hosting providers, over 15% indicated that they were expecting to implement this newer approach in the coming twelve months. As the survey results suggest, a dearth of knowledge around the advantages of using the right managed cloud providers precludes many IT professionals from seeing it a practicable option.

On a scale of 1-5 where 1 is least important and 5 is most important (source: CloudTweaks)

For example, respondents employing an in-house solution were asked to provide the key hurdles in managing that sort of IT infrastructure. More than two-thirds indicated “workload of IT staff” as the predominant issue. Conversely, those who align with a managed cloud provider do not consider workload to be a pain point.

When requested to list the top benefits of managed cloud providers, IT professionals using this solution said it “frees IT staff to focus on core business applications.” This sort of direct response was the case for the other hurdles that came with administering an in-house solution, including security.

While threats in security and privacy were amongst the key fears with using a managed cloud provider, assurance in data security in either solution was almost identical. Over 60% of IT professionals utilizing a managed cloud solution indicated that they were either “very confident” or “extremely confident” that their data was secure, compared to 57% of IT respondents using an in-house solution.

As demonstrated in the results, a disconnect looks to exist between IT pros using an in-house solution and those respondents using managed cloud providers.

Managed Cloud Providers, see for yourself

The optimal way to determine the right solution for your business is to just do the requisite research. Many believe cloud computing to be a disruptive technology, and for that reason alone, there is much “noise” associated with it. Hearsay and hyperbole are pervasive – but it should not preclude businesses from at least learning more about this newer technology option.

IT professionals seek out fresh information that dispels common myths and fallacies about the cloud and discover what goes into an intelligent migration. Educating yourself and raising your comfort level with cloud technologies permits you to evaluate new IT options with an objective judgment.

IT is constantly evolving – If your businesses could be more agile, versatile and competitive utilizing an alternative approach, would that not be worth exploring?

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Do you want to explore your options with one of North America’s most respected managed cloud providers? Remember us: Schedule a demo or a 7-day trial and discover first hand why Cloud9 Real Time is the #1 choice of cloud computing providers among more accountants, CFOs, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and CPAs. Or come to Cloud Summit 2014 in San Diego September 17-19 and find out what all the hubbub is about!