Cloud is taking over the data center. A study by Cisco found that within the next three years, 94 percent of workloads will be processed in the cloud. Much of that usage will be Software as a Service (SaaS), a subscription-based model where applications run and data resides on vendor-owned instances.
For those applications that can’t run as SaaS, Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is the most popular cloud model. Cisco’s report says that IaaS will grow to 16 percent of cloud workloads. Other analysts agree; Gartner predicts the IaaS compound annual growth rate, currently more than 23 percent, will be higher than the overall cloud market’s growth through 2020.
Overcoming Challenges to Moving to the Cloud
Despite the benefits of IaaS, which include easier support, increased agility, and reduced costs, some companies still hesitate to move their infrastructure to the cloud. According to Oracle, companies have four major reasons for resisting cloud adoption, but today’s IaaS means these worries are unfounded.
1. IaaS doesn’t provide enough security to protect critical data.
The cloud providers who manage your IaaS resources have teams devoted to ensuring the security of their facilities. In addition, many cloud providers offer environments certified to be in compliance with industry-wide security standards such as PCI, HIPAA, and others. While you remain responsible for the security of your data, using IaaS provides you with a partner that has security expertise and can support you in your efforts.
2. Worries about changing technology making investments in the cloud obsolete.
Changing technology will affect any investments in your on-premises equipment even more than your resources in the cloud. On-premises equipment is often expensive and is often purchased before it’s needed to avoid procurement delays. The cloud provides the opportunity to add and drop resources as needed, offering much more flexibility in reacting to a changing technical environment.
3. Concern that migration to the cloud will increase complexity.
It’s true that migrating data and applications to the cloud can be a challenging project. Once you have migrated to the cloud, there can be challenges in integrating the resources with workloads remaining in the data center. Careful planning can help mitigate those challenges. It’s also important to realize that the IaaS provider’s team will handle many of your routine support procedures, reducing the number of issues your team has to resolve and allowing them to focus on making sure the technology supports business goals.
4. Concern about losing control.
IaaS frees your team from worrying about routine technical tasks; you remain in control of your resources and how they are used. Because of the agility of a cloud environment, you can more finely tailor your usage of resources and have greater control over how your infrastructure evolves.
A final challenge companies need to overcome to successfully adopt IaaS is to make sure their technical team has the skills to work in the new environment. Partnering with a managed services organization like dcVAST ensures you have experts working with you to provide your business the full benefits of the cloud. Contact us to learn how our IaaS and managed Amazon Web Services can help you move past the issues delaying your cloud adoption.
