Intelligent Data Centres Issue 03 | Page 20

DATA CENTRE PREDICTIONS Security, on the other hand, remains top-of-mind for the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and the broader data centre and cloud conversation. However, it is important to note that there is a growing understanding of the reality of people being the biggest threat to network security. Whether it is a staff worker forgetting their password on a piece of paper, or a malicious employee sharing sensitive data with competitors, the threat is no greater in a managed environment than it is on an on-premise internally managed scenario. This is why threat intelligence and legal strength remain crucial. As decision makers become more informed about the changing face of the data centre and cloud becoming the preferred route, managed services are also set to be the flavour du jour. Cloud is, of course, a managed service, however it is left to the business to decide how much it should manage, i.e. platform, information or Software-as-a-Service. The 20 Issue 03 bare minimum implementation would see platform as a service being implemented but as time goes on, more and more businesses will expand the managed services offering to include software. Companies don’t often have the capacity to run the data centre without technical support, especially as Big Data creates a vortex of ‘confusion’ for many. With the paranoia wearing off around security, regulation and opening up the business’ internal network to an external platform, businesses will be seen to focus more on their operations and discard the burden of IT as managed services become more prevalent. There is no doubt that the future will see little to no on-premise data centres, the only uncertainty is when that future will be. While it is evident that there is no blueprint to how a company should move its data centre from premise and into the cloud, experience has shown that corporates are becoming more realistic about the time it takes to transition. Advisory forms a fundamental role in an organisation’s journey out of premise and into a cloud, which means the right partnerships are critically important. ◊ THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE FUTURE WILL SEE LITTLE TO NO ON-PREMISE DATA CENTRES, THE ONLY UNCERTAINTY IS WHEN THAT FUTURE WILL BE. www.intelligentdatacentres.com