Fewer than 20% of IT professionals believe that their current cloud infrastructure meets their business needs, revealing a significant gap between expectations and the reality of cloud adoption.
According to a new survey from SolarWinds, which gathered responses from 272 IT professionals globally, the cloud’s promises of scalability and cost savings have not fully lived up to expectations for many IT teams. Only 25% of those surveyed feel their organization’s cloud approach is well thought out and successful. Meanwhile, 23% say their hybrid cloud strategy has led to a more complicated IT environment. Despite these challenges, just 22% of respondents have sought help from external IT services for cloud migration strategies.
In response to these difficulties, more than 16% of participants have moved workloads back to on-premises. Additionally, 12% have experienced long-term financial consequences due to poorly planned cloud transitions, showing that rushed cloud migrations can lead to expensive fixes or reversals.
The survey also highlights concerns about cloud security, with nearly half (46%) of IT professionals still storing their most sensitive data on-premises due to security concerns. However, many are still focused on cloud strategies, especially as a way to reduce costs. Nearly 30% of respondents are prioritizing cloud migration to lower operational expenses.
The research underscores the challenges of managing complex hybrid-cloud ecosystems. IT leaders are facing difficulties with growing infrastructure complexity, managing microservices and containers, and dealing with issues like tool sprawl and information silos. Without proper planning and visibility, organizations risk falling into a situation where it’s hard to diagnose and resolve issues.
To overcome these hurdles, experts suggest IT leaders need a more strategic, informed approach to cloud migration. This includes focusing on reliable and secure tools, and leveraging comprehensive observability. Real-time visibility into all layers of the IT environment, supported by machine learning algorithms and AI-driven analytics, can help organizations proactively manage their hybrid cloud infrastructures. Although cloud infrastructure can enable growth, without the right tools and visibility, it can create a bumpy experience.
The findings come from a survey conducted in September 2024, with respondents from a range of roles across various sectors and regions, including Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific.
