What businesses need for cloud resilience in 2021 and beyond
Cloud technology has reshaped how organizations function at all levels of business. But to maximize its value in an ever-changing landscape, enterprises need to continuously optimize their cloud strategy.
10 key findings from the survey detail the challenges organizations face in achieving and maintaining cloud resiliency. Click below to get started
Survey says
CLOUD
BUILDING A RESILIENT
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To investigate the state of enterprise cloud adoption during this uniquely transformative moment in the world, we surveyed 400 U.S. IT decision-makers to gauge their cloud experience and understand what they think is needed to achieve true cloud resiliency. We then surveyed 400 U.S. IT line-of-business employees for a comparative view.
Cloud maturity vs. strategic priorities
The ongoing journey of cloud maturity
Update your outdated cloud
Pause before buying more
Cloud governance challenges
Threat of shadow IT
Training your workforce
Modernizing when still in tech debt
Deployment: frontline vs. decision-makers
Automation for rote work
Meet the Experts
IT experts Kevin McMahon and George Burns III provide insights on what these findings mean for organizations and their cloud investment.
Kevin McMahon
George Burns III
Kevin McMahon
Executive Director, Cloud Enablement, SPR As SPR’s Executive Director, Cloud Enablement, Kevin helps clients maximize cloud deployment with proper digital initiatives. Kevin has 20 years of experience in the information technology services industry, specializing in delivering custom mobile, backend and embedded applications.
Kevin McMahon
Senior Consultant, Cloud Operations, SPRGeorge’s core mission is to connect people with technology through the cloud. With over 15 years' experience in business consulting and information technology services, George analyzes the business processes of SPR’s clients through the lens of IT to create an efficient experience for both end-users and administrators.
George Burns III
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MORE ON THE SUrvey Methodology
Decision-makers: SPR surveyed 400 U.S. IT decision-makers in early August 2020. All respondents were at the director level or above, worked at companies that used a private, public or hybrid cloud deployment and were directly involved in establishing their organization’s cloud planning.
Line-of-business employees: SPR surveyed 400 U.S. IT line-of-business employees at the senior manager level or below who worked at organizations that used a private, public or hybrid cloud deployment.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
35%
30%
35%
54%
26%
20%
Private
Public
Hybrid
Private
Public
Hybrid
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Strategy vs. Maturity
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I need to increase operational efficiency
54%
I'm looking to protect consumer data privacy
39%
I want to improve security
37%
I want to adapt to cloud best practice, e.g., DevOps
50%
I want to migrate on-prem to the cloud
40%
I need to strengthen cloud security
36%
Organizations often struggle to manage rapid changes as these cloud platforms continuously evolve and mature. As more features, capabilities and cost-saving opportunities are introduced, enterprises that cannot assess, analyze, and address their current needs will struggle to keep up.”
more from Kevin
As organizations become more comfortable running their businesses on the cloud, signs of maturity begin to emerge.
I see this data as a result of the common phrase ‘you don’t know what you don’t know.’ Many times, a business will set benchmarks to improve their cloud deployment, hit those marks and then hit a plateau of improvement. However, true cloud maturity is difficult to achieve — it comes in waves and takes time. And if organizations don’t consistently reevaluate their cloud deployment as technology advances, their cloud deployments will decline in maturity as time passes.”
This data is a result of the common phrase ‘you don’t know what you don’t know.’
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but strategic priorities say otherwise
Insight 1
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TOP 3 CLOUD INITIATIVES IN NEXT 12 MONTHS
See What Line-Of-Business Employees Want
See What Decision-Makers Have Planned
IT leaders and line-of-business workers agreed on how their organizations should advance cloud maturity — the capability level of their cloud deployment. More than two-thirds of decision-makers and line-of-business employees (67%) rated their companies’ cloud strategies as mature. However, the strategic priorities and initiatives outlined by IT leaders and line-of-business employees to improve their cloud effectiveness showed that their cloud environments are less mature than they think. Both groups of respondents said operational efficiency, security and cloud best practices should be improved — three tenets of a baseline level of cloud maturity.
Next insight
Cloud maturity is achieved in the small details that change over time as technology evolves
EXPERT INSIGHT
~ George Burns III
Cloud Maturity
I want to migrate on-prem infrastucture to the cloud
40%
I need to strengthen cloud security
36%
I want to adapt to cloud best practice, e.g., DevOps
50%
I need to increase operational efficiency
54%
I'm looking to protect consumer data privacy
39%
I want to improve security
37%
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Tracking can be done internally, but an independent third-party partner can better define KPI benchmarks that will help businesses improve their cloud deployment. Organizations should partner with established cloud architects like SPR to develop long-term plans that address the needs of their business while continually driving towards a more mature cloud deployment mode.
more from George
An independent third-party partner can better define KPI benchmarks to improve cloud deployment.
Documenting and sharing processes is an essential first step for improving operational efficiency and quality. Established processes outline how to run the business, but don't always help navigate the twists along the way. The insights learned while executing a digital strategy are vital to companies navigating challenges. Businesses that can incorporate these hard-won lessons are resilient and able to weather the storm.
more from Kevin
~ George Burns III
For cloud maturity, the map is not the terrain.
Very Immature
Somewhat Immature
Somewhat Mature
Very Mature
Organization’s applications use cloud-native architectures (e.g., microservices, serverless infrastructure) to take full advantage of cloud capabilities
Organization hosts most or all of their applications on-premises
Organization has re-factored applications to optimize for cloud
Organization hosts most or all of applications in the cloud, but haven’t optimized them for cloud
However, IT leaders also listed data privacy concerns (50%) and security concerns (42%) as their top two barriers to advancing to the next level of cloud maturity — which have become new gold standards after many companies started working from home due to the pandemic. The recent change of cloud maturity standards to better support digital business models, mass remote work and secure online environments shows how rapidly priorities can shift — which makes consistent, diligent cloud maturity tracking even more crucial for true cloud advancement. To navigate rapid change, IT leaders must work with their teams to establish ongoing reviews of their organization’s cloud deployment and ensure operational standards are consistently met.
Our interactions with this client showcase how a responsive, ongoing approach to maturity will enable companies to incorporate tech advancements and work in the most optimal way to meet current business needs.
Use assessments to optimize appropriately based on true need, and monitor regularly. SPR guided our client to streamline their services by identifying what was already in use and rightsizing the service usage to the current need of the client.
Responding to change: Business and technology needs aren’t static, and the tech approach must respond accordingly. The client’s maturity initiatives evolved in waves, responding to the latest feature changes from the cloud provider and changes in the business strategy or key priorities.
Improving Cloud Maturity
Assessing current maturity and driving changes continually over time looks different for each company. One journey for a global client of SPR included two improvement areas: 1. Responsiveness to change 2. Use of assessments Click tabs above for details
Case Study
Improvement 1
Improvement 2
Conclusion
EXPERT INSIGHT
Be willing to learn from imperfections in the cloud and improve under the guidance of cloud experts
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Insight 2
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Survey of Decision-Makers
Decision-makers
Line-of-Business Employees
YES!
No
An overwhelming majority of both IT decision-makers and line-of-business employees said their organization tracks cloud maturity.
8%
71%
13%
90%
ARE YOU TRACKING CLOUD MATURITY?
CLICK THE LEVELS OF CLOUD MATURITY
Additionally, 2% of decision-makers and 16% of line-of-business employees don't know if they are tracking cloud maturity
Updating Your Cloud
Next insight
Changes meant stable, established technologies and processes mandated adjustments and continued “care and feeding” to serve updated business goals and tech capabilities.
SPR also helped the client control costs, not by taking a cost-first approach but instead by scaling the environments to the true need, and adjust as needed by regularly monitoring usage over time.
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Pause Before Buying
Next insight
Testing must be embedded in an organization’s cloud processes early so it doesn’t delay deployment efforts as a bottleneck. Excessive bureaucracy and red tape can also be mitigated when IT works closely with other departments in a DevOps approach to operationally align the cloud deployment and establish governance.
~ Kevin McMahon
Testing must be embedded in an organization’s cloud processes early.
Cloud modernization is ultimately a conversation about finance and return on investment between IT leadership and non-IT leadership. More non-IT leaders see the importance of digital business models after the initial impact of the pandemic, giving IT leaders an opportunity to leverage cost analysis to improve how the cloud is used in their organizations.
more from George
More non-IT leaders see the importance of digital business models after the pandemic.
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Insight 3
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Among frontline workers who said their IT departments’ processes don’t support effective cloud deployment, respondents listed outdated IT infrastructure, slow deployment and testing processes, excessive bureaucracy or red tape and a lack of communication between IT and other departments as the most painful process barriers to effective cloud deployment. The fact that many line-of-business employees noted old infrastructure as a barrier is not surprising — many organizations’ cloud deployments weren’t equipped for a crisis.
Our IT infrastructure is outdated
42%
Deployment and testing processes are slow
39%
I face excessive bureaucracy and red tape
36%
There is a lack of communication between IT and other departments
33%
40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Outdated IT
Slow deployment
Red tape
Commmunication
Embrace DevOps to open doors between IT and other departments
EXPERT INSIGHT
We surveyed 400 IT line-of-business employees. Click the icons to see their top barriers.
But the issues of slow testing as well as excessive bureaucracy or red tape and poor communication lie in two categories — DevOps and governance — which feed into each other. Testing issues are rooted in a lack of DevOps. If an IT team can’t work with other departments to test programmatic deployments in the cloud, overall operational processes are stifled. And with inefficient processes full of red tape and poor communication, many employees may turn to shadow IT to circumvent approved tools, hindering governance as a result.
Beware, Barriers Ahead
TOP most painful process barriers to effective cloud deployment
Our IT infrastructure is outdated
42%
I face excessive bureaucracy and red tape
36%
There is a lack of communication between IT and other departments
33%
~ George Burns III
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Cloud Governance
Next insight
Conversely, there’s substantial knowledge to be gained from learning what went wrong or what could be bolstered. Unless there are objectively definable issues, the mission for IT leaders should be to refine the cloud, not redefine it. Refining the cloud also involves properly tracking cloud maturity — a factor we cover in Key Finding #2 of this report.
~ Kevin McMahon
The answer to improving the cloud shouldn’t be to terminate a solution or add a new layer.
The decision-makers’ reaction is an example of trying to solve the problems of yesterday rather than preventing those that are to come. Leaders should know better than to rebuild their cloud from the ground up and should be more resilient in the face of adversity. Starting over will only lead to inefficient operations and expensive costs.
more from George
The decision-makers’ reaction is an example of trying to solve for yesterday than prevent problems to come.
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
Insight 4
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Amazon Web Services
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud
62%
58%
61%
cloud providers used by hybrid and public cloud decision-makers
Nearly two-thirds (63%) of decision-makers whose organizations used public or hybrid cloud deployments said they were extremely satisfied with how their cloud provider supported them throughout the pandemic. IT line-of-business employees were less enthusiastic: The notable majority (58%) said they were only somewhat satisfied with the support they received during the same timeframe.
IT leaders need to enjoy the journey, not the destination
EXPERT INSIGHT
Given the satisfaction of decision-makers, it’s perplexing that more than two-thirds (69%) were also at least somewhat likely to switch cloud providers or add another cloud provider in the next year, with over one-third (39%) saying they were extremely likely to do so. Changing cloud providers or adding a new one requires substantial financial investment and major changes to an organization’s operational workflow, so decision-makers should think carefully before making a shift.
~ George Burns III
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Shadow IT
Next insight
Tech debt caused by a lack of governance can lead to substantial damage. And even when that debt is brought to light by IT teams, organizations are slow to act on it. It’s easier to say the cloud “doesn’t work” instead of “what needs to be fixed?” For governance to truly improve, it must be made a business priority, not just an IT priority.
~ George Burns III
Tech debt from lack of governance can lead to substantial damage.
Effective governance is the result of IT and business departments collaborating to identify both groups' needs to deliver the business outcome desired. Organizations are often stymied by departments using processes created without the input of all included parties. These environments typically create friction and encourage shadow IT practices within companies.
more from Kevin
Effective governance is IT and business collaborating to deliver the outcome desired.
For good governance, IT and business must come together
EXPERT INSIGHT
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Insight 5
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Cloud governance is the ability to provide operational conformity for organization technology without breaching security or compliance risks. When asked how to improve cloud governance, both IT decision-makers and line-of-business employees said more employee training, establishing a centralized authority to provide a single source of truth and automation of rote tasks were the best solutions.
Although decision-makers and frontline workers may align on the methodology to improve cloud governance, their agreement doesn’t take into account a major X-factor — business-induced “tech debt.” Tech debt is the result of expediting the development of a technical project, like a rushed cloud deployment strategy, on the basis of immediate need with intent to retool it in the future. A surge of work-from-home requirements, for example, can force many IT teams to speed up cloud development and inherit tech debt. And this quick dash to expedite the cloud comes at the expense of governance, as non-IT employees are forced to adopt a new cloud deployment strategy without a clearly defined operational workflow — resulting in process bottlenecks and inefficient operations.
Establishing an internal, central authority to define standards and best practices for cloud 53%
Improvement 1
Improving employee training or education about cloud standards and best practices 52%
Improvement 2
Improving ways to automate and decentralize governance tasks, e.g., approving access to cloud tools 47%
Improvement 3
Lack of employee training or education about cloud standards and best practices 37%
Barrier 1
Lack of an internal, central authority to define standards and best practices for cloud 18%
Barrier 2
Lack of ability to automate and decentralize governance tasks, such as approving access to cloud tools 15%
Barrier 3
Top 3 Initiatives to improve cloud governance in the next 12 months
Top 3 biggest barriers to effective cloud governance
Survey of Decision-Makers
Survey of Line-of-Business Employees
~ Kevin McMahon
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Training Your Workforce
Next insight
Shadow IT usually results from the tension created by teams’ or departments’ goals and incentives. IT teams should work with their fellow colleagues to find what tech solutions work best given the constraints (like security, cost and regulation) that the organization has to operate under. Collaborating with all parties to deliver the best solution for a specific organization’s cloud workload goes a long way to reducing the need for shadow IT practices.
More from Kevin
Collaborating with all parties goes a long way to reducing shadow IT practices.
Decision-makers and line-of-business employees should make streamlining or simplifying the process for authorizing new tools their top priority in the next 12 months. Removing the complexity of authorizing new tools helps increase overall cloud adoption among employees by enabling workers to use tools that work for them and can help enterprises achieve better governance with more employee cooperation.
More from George
Remove the complexity of authorizing new tools so workers can use what works for them.
Think shadow IT isn’t a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise.
Insight 6
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Three-quarters of decision-makers said that shadow IT — the use of technology at work that hasn’t been organizationally sanctioned — was common at their workplaces, with 38% saying it was extremely common. And while line-of-business workers agreed that shadow IT is a problem, they don’t think it’s as severe — 58% said shadow IT was common and only 17% say it was extremely common.
To stop shadow IT, give your IT operations and engineering teams the right tools for the job
EXPERT INSIGHT
Survey of Decision-Makers
Survey of Line-of-business employees
Top 5 Initiatives to Reduce Shadow IT
34%
33%
41%
54%
55%
Offering additional or improved training on using authorized tools
Building/adopting IT infrastructure necessary to support up-to-date tools
Establishing centralized guidelines on tech usage in the workplace
Streamlining/simplifying the process for getting new tools authorized
Offering additional or improved training on the risks of shadow IT
15%
10%
18%
23%
30%
Lack of understanding of the security risks of using shadow IT
Frustration with process for getting new tools authorized (e.g., takes too long)
Lack of training on how to use authorized tools
Lack of budget to purchase new tools necessary for work
Lack of centralized guidelines on tech usage in the workplace
Top 5 Drivers of Employee Shadow IT Use
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Tech Debt
Next insight
There is no one-size-fits-all cloud development program. Decision-makers must assess their needs now and anticipate how those needs may change in the future to build training programs and frameworks that grow with their businesses and rapidly changing cloud platforms. Leveraging a tool from Amazon Web Services like a “Well-Architected Review” can help leaders in this improvement endeavor.
more from Kevin
As IT leaders work to increase employee education, they must be pragmatic.
Employee education and engagement has a snowball effect to open up conversations beyond security, shadow IT and governance. As employees gain more incremental knowledge, organizations can build a stronger DevOps approach, applying cyclical discovery, remediation and feedback processes to better curate cloud solutions that will resonate on a broader employee level.
~ George Burns III
Employee education and engagement has a snowball effect.
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Insight 7
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Prioritize education, but don't complicate it
EXPERT INSIGHT
With education a clear priority for IT leaders in the coming year, the industry should expect an uptick in complete cloud system reviews as well as the widespread implementation of in-depth training programs. And while expanded use of the cloud was already expected to occur over the long term, the pandemic has also provided a clear spark for organizations to put education at the forefront of company plans.
We all need some education
We surveyed 400 IT decision-makers, who identified a common way to address cloud risks for the next 12 months
Educate employees about security risks 43%
Top Way to Improve Cloud Security
Offer additional or improved training on security risks of shadow IT 54%
Top Way to Combat Shadow IT
Offer additional or improved training on how to use authorized tools 55%
Top Way to Address Governance
IT leaders rated employee training as the top initiative to improve cloud security in the next 12 months. Decision-makers also see additional training on authorized tools and security risks of shadow IT as methods to bolster cloud security. Fifty-two percent of decision-makers listed improving employee training about cloud standards and best practices as a method to improve cloud governance — just behind the establishment of a central authority to define standards and best practices for cloud (53%).
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
~ Kevin McMahon
Deployment
Next insight
I delayed migrating on-prem IT to the cloud
53%
I delayed changing our cloud deployment (e.g., shifting from private to hybrid cloud)
40%
I canceled adapting IT operations to cloud best practices
36%
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Insight 8
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TOP 3 CLOUD-related INITIATIVES canceled or delayed due to covid-19
Although there were signs of cloud progress in recent months, IT leaders indicated delays in many modernization initiatives for the coming year. Decision-makers noted that initiatives such as migrating on-premise infrastructure to the cloud, changing cloud deployment strategy and switching cloud providers were delayed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These setbacks indicate that many organizations will carry inherited tech debt for some time.
However, the climb out of tech debt also presents decision-makers with an opportunity to retool under a more structured DevOps approach through continuous improvement methodology. Leaders should expect to invest in short-term projects and incremental value adds to slowly shed tech debt as a result. To maximize these efforts, look for IT teams to leverage sandbox environments to find improved cloud solutions for the future while organizations move forward from their modernization setbacks.
IT leaders must prepare to work within shorter-term cloud improvement plans that add up to incremental changes over time. The historic use of five-year engagement plans does not match what the market expects today. In our post-pandemic environment, enterprises are instead becoming more comfortable with short term, frequent cloud engagement plans.
~ Kevin McMahon
No matter how long you delay cloud initiatives, you still need to reassess modernization.
IT leaders may possess a cloud solution that works for them in the short term but not in perpetuity. Decision-makers should lay the foundation for modernization now. As changes and improvements arise, organizations can focus on implementing those adjustments rather than figuring out the processes needed to incorporate them.
EXPERT INSIGHT
more from George
IT leaders may possess a cloud solution that works in the short term but not in perpetuity.
Modernization never sleeps
Survey of Decision-Makers
I canceled adapting IT operations to cloud best practices
36%
I delayed changing our cloud deployment (e.g., shifting from private to hybrid cloud)
40%
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
~ George Burns III
Rote Work
Next insight
Decision-makers aren’t wrong for speeding up this shift — it was necessary for business continuity. But moving forward, leaders must communicate with their line-of-business workers about what’s happening in real time and what should be improved — their first-hand insights are invaluable for further cloud flexibility.
~ Kevin McMahon
The pandemic-driven cloud transition was focused on results, not progress.
IT leaders can be pleased with their imperfect cloud transition, but they can’t forget the long-term effects of rapid changes. Many companies likely inherited substantial tech debt as a result of the pandemic — and that can’t be ignored. Decision-makers need to know when it’s time to step back to assess everything that’s changed with COVID-19 and using that retrospective, ensure that their cloud deployment is delivering what they think it is.
more from George
IT leaders can’t forget the long-term effects of rapid changes.
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Insight 9
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The cloud gives companies flexibility to make swift changes to their business. But in reality, cloud flexibility isn’t always successful in execution. This scenario played out in real time as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Decision-makers accelerated various cloud initiatives, including the migration of IT infrastructure to cloud (51%), changing their organization’s cloud deployment strategy (41%) and adapting IT operations to cloud best practices (36%). And while 47% of IT leaders strongly agreed the pandemic accelerated their company’s evolution to full cloud maturity, only 29% of the frontline felt the same.
EXPERT INSIGHT
The difference in outlook indicates a disconnect between decision-makers’ view of cloud maturity from the top versus frontline employees’ experience on the ground. In fact, two of the top three disruptors to remote work transition listed by the frontline were related to the cloud.
Survey of Line-of-Business Employees
35%
48%
51%
IT was overwhelmed with support requests
Cloud infrastructure lacked the bandwidth to give access to all users
Non-IT employees didn’t understand how to use cloud-based tools
Leaders must view the frontline as a partner in improving the cloud after rapid changes
Top 3 sources of disruption during remote work transition
Survey of Line-of-business Employees
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
~ George Burns III
WHAT'S NEXT
Testing must be embedded in an organization’s cloud processes early so it doesn’t delay deployment efforts as a bottleneck. Excessive bureaucracy and red tape can also be mitigated when IT works closely with other departments in a DevOps approach to operationally align the cloud deployment and establish governance.
More from Kevin
Testing must be embedded in an organization’s cloud processes early.
Cloud modernization is ultimately a conversation about finance and return on investment between IT leadership and non-IT leadership. More non-IT leaders see the importance of digital business models after the initial impact of the pandemic, giving IT leaders an opportunity to leverage cost analysis to improve how the cloud is used in their organizations.
More from George
More non-IT leaders see the importance of digital business models after the pandemic.
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
Insight 10
10
EXPERT INSIGHT
I have more rote work due to a lack of automation
36%
It is harder to fix issues or update software
33%
I have less opportunity to innovate
17%
40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
Rote work
Software fixes
No innovation
A little automation rooted in governance goes a long way
Survey of IT line-of-business employees
Although only a small percentage of frontline employees said their IT departments’ processes didn’t support effective cloud deployment, there’s a broader lesson to be learned by all IT professionals — leveraging automation to improve the cloud. Even as organizations try to improve their cloud infrastructure with a lack of budget, automation can provide a cost-efficient solution to achieve incremental progress. Automation tools will also serve as a valuable selling point to non-IT leadership, as functions of automation benefit business continuity — a factor of heightened importance in a rapidly changing business landscape.
Efficiency or bust
Top most painful results of ineffective cloud deployment
Within the small percentage of frontline workers who disagreed that their IT department’s processes support effective cloud deployment (9%), respondents said that too much rote work due to a lack of automation was the top reason. Additionally, line-of-business workers listed inefficient cybersecurity processes from a lack of automation as the second biggest barrier to more effective cloud security at their organizations behind lack of budget.
I have more rote work due to a lack of automation
36%
I have less opportunity to innovate
17%
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report
Survey of LINE-OF-BUSINESS EMPLOYEES
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Introduction, expert bios, and methodology
IT professionals rate their cloud as mature, but their strategic priorities say otherwise
Cloud maturity is an ongoing journey
Out with the old: Line-of-business workers want to ditch outdated cloud infrastructure and processes
Read before buying: IT leaders should pause before making major changes to their cloud infrastructure
If everyone agrees on how to improve cloud governance, why is it still a challenge?
Think shadow IT isn't a threat? Decision-makers say otherwise
IT leaders see education and training as the gateway to improving cloud security, shadow IT and governance
Cloud modernization is stuck in neutral as enterprises grapple with tech debt
Different perspectives: The frontline disagrees with leaders on cloud deployment flexibility
Need for speed: The frontline demands automation to make rote work more efficient
download report