I N F O G R A P H I C

New research reveals hybrid hosting is now the preferred choice for IT leaders . Unexpected costs , security challenges and slow data transfer are key factors cited in cloud migration struggles .

The report , commissioned by Asanti , one of the UK ’ s leading colocation data centre providers , and conducted by VansonBourne , indicates that many organisations now view blending public cloud with on-premise solutions as the optimal approach to managing IT infrastructure .

Over the last decade , many organisations adopted a cloudfirst approach , however as the research findings reveal the realisation that a hybrid strategy , combining on-premise and cloud , would have helped to avoid some of the critical challenges shared in the report .

The research , which surveyed 100 senior IT decision-makers across public and private sectors in the UK , revealed key drivers for this change in thinking :

• Unexpected costs : 77 % of respondents reported that operating costs in the public cloud were higher than anticipated , with 63 % stating these costs exceeded those of their previous non-public cloud models

• Security and compliance concerns : Ensuring security and meeting regulatory compliance proved challenging for 62 % of organisations . As a result , many are reconsidering the public cloud for their critical and sensitive data

• Prolonged migration times : 98 % said that they faced difficulties during their migration to the public cloud with more than half ( 57 %) reporting that the move to public cloud took longer than expected , often leading to disruptions in business operations and escalating costs

These challenges have led to widespread repatriation of applications from public cloud platforms , with a staggering 91 % of those surveyed reporting that they are now moving applications back to on-premise or colocation data centres .

Performance issues , downtime and the need for more control over infrastructure are additional reasons for this shift . An over-reliance on support from public cloud providers , cited by 60 % of respondents as their number one resource for migration planning , may have contributed to these issues .

Other significant findings related to public cloud migrations include :

• 47 % experienced service downtime and business interruptions during their public cloud migrations

• 44 % indicated a need to upskill internal teams to manage and optimise public cloud infrastructure

• 38 % noted performance degradation after migrating to the public cloud , with many finding cloud resources insufficient to meet their performance expectations

• 31 % faced application compatibility issues , complicating their IT integration efforts

Stewart Laing , CEO of Asanti , said : “ With such a high percentage of organisations bringing applications back to onpremise or colocation data centres , you have to wonder – what exactly were cloud providers promising when they sold these packages ? It ’ s clear now that defaulting to a cloud-first strategy may not be the best approach .

“ We strongly encourage IT decision-makers and business leaders to adopt a business-centric view , focusing on current and future needs to determine the most appropriate hosting model , rather than starting with a predefined solution and attempting to fit the business around it ,” Laing added .

The report also highlighted a growing focus on AI applications with 52 % of organisations stating that the adoption of AI within their business would require a change to their public cloud strategy , with on-premise and / or in-house IT infrastructure ( colocation ) preferred to public cloud . This approach will enable businesses to feel assured that they are operating within a stable and secure environment for sensitive workloads . �

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