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joltsik
Contributing Writer

What type of organizations are increasing their use of cloud computing?

Analysis
Feb 01, 20102 mins
Cisco SystemsCloud ComputingData and Information Security

ESG 2010 IT Spending Data Results May Surprise You

As an analyst, everyone and his brother has sent me their research claiming that large and small organizations are embracing and investing in cloud computing. Nope. According to ESG’s 2010 IT Spending Data, only 12% of SME (i.e. less than 1,000 employees) and enterprise (i.e. more than 1,000 employees) organizations claim that “increased spending on cloud computing” is one of their top ten initiatives for 2010. Obviously, most firms have other priorities.Okay, 12% isn’t a large population but common wisdom (and industry hype) would suggest that these cloud computing pioneers must be on the cutting edge of IT. Wrong again. Actually, those investing in cloud computing fit a completely different model. It turns out that cloud adoption has a lot to do with:1. IT effectiveness. Of those firms that rate their IT organization as “highly effective,” 18% will increase their investment in cloud computing. Alternatively, 29% of companies that said that their IT organization “needs improvement” are investing in cloud services.2. Cost cutting. Twenty-eight percent of organizations in “major cost cutting mode,” and 21% of organizations in “moderate cost cutting mode” are investing in cloud computing. On the other hand, just 12% of firms claiming to be in “cost containment mode” are investing in the cloud.Forget about burstable processing or massive Hadoop-based apps — most companies look at cloud computing (and its many definitions) to cut costs or handoff difficult IT tasks to an expert. As such, cloud computing is a perfect fit for industries like State/Local government, manufacturing, and transportation that are cutting IT spending.

joltsik
Contributing Writer

Jon Oltsik is a distinguished analyst, fellow, and the founder of the ESG’s cybersecurity service. With over 35 years of technology industry experience, Jon is widely recognized as an expert in all aspects of cybersecurity and is often called upon to help customers understand a CISO's perspective and strategies. Jon focuses on areas such as cyber-risk management, security operations, and all things related to CISOs.

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