Digitization only possible with clouds

20.09.2019 - On the online platform IT-business.de, Heidemarie Schuster discusses the topic of digitization in Germany. She writes about clouds and their development in recent years and explains why she assumes that digitization is not possible without the cloud. Cloud computing has been one of the most important trends in Germany's IT industry for several years now. Hardly any modern company is still competitive without the cloud. In the following article we summarize Mrs. Schuster's positions.
 

Studies prove: the cloud is on the rise
 
The trend began in the private sector, where people have long been exchanging large amounts of data, especially photos, via the various cloud solutions. Soon employees in companies did the same. They used one of the many external cloud providers because their own company software did not yet offer any possibilities. Most larger companies in Germany now have their own cloud structure. An IDC study received a positive answer to this question from 90% of the companies surveyed. Cloud solutions simply have a lot to offer, including the necessary tools. A further result of the study was that the general modernization of the IT infrastructure was one of the top three priorities of the surveyed companies. Most companies are now developing their business models and IT environment in parallel and at the same speed. In many cases, the cloud is the first choice. Different cloud solutions are compared. Nearly a quarter of respondents said that they are already checking to see if there is already a cloud solution for each innovation. About 40% of respondents said that they compare cloud solutions directly with other solutions. The initiators of the IDC study assume that the trend towards the cloud will continue.


The Multi Cloud
 
Data protection also plays an increasingly important role. Numerous companies have so far opted for a private cloud because of uncertainties. Public cloud, however, has undeniable advantages. In the meantime, there is the Multi Cloud. Multi-cloud means that two or more services are offered by the cloud. The multi cloud is something like the next step on the cloud evolution ladder. Internal and external resources and information can be delivered seamlessly and automatically free to the door. An interesting alternative - also for German companies. However, managing a multi-cloud is a challenge. This was also the view of many of the respondents. Some of the survey participants reported that they have clouds with different providers and called it a multi-cloud. However, a true multi cloud has not yet established itself. Initially, only a few providers studied such solutions at all and later offered them. In the meantime, however, the demand can be seen. Only about 15% of the companies surveyed use something comparable. IDC expects this number to multiply in the coming months and years. After all, 60% of the companies are considering multi clouds.
 

Is Multi Cloud the future?
 
What speaks against the multi-cloud - or rather, what discourages many companies - is its high complexity. Many processes are running that are not directly visible. While most IT experts can now handle a private cloud without any problems, the challenge with a multi-cloud is to have an overview of a large number of processes running in parallel. Security must be guaranteed. Compliance, cost transparency and user management must be managed. In most cases, this means a reorganization in the IT department. All of this will occupy many IT professionals and entrepreneurs in the coming years. According to IDC, the question of whether or not has already been answered to a large extent. However, it is not yet clear which cloud solution will win the race in the end and which advantages and disadvantages will be decisive. The choice is quite large, as are the possible uses of the cloud. It is always a difficult step to transport the critical and sensitive data and applications into the cloud and not to make any mistakes from the very beginning. Cloud computing has been so successful because it offers so many solutions. IDC believes that this will continue. The multi cloud is only the next step on the road to success. We will be hearing a lot more about this topic in the coming years.

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