One cloud provider does not fit all

With hundreds of cloud services providers operating in the UK market and 75% of UK businesses officially ‘in the cloud’, Adapt has announced results from a survey that illustrates the current UK cloud marketplace.

The results of the survey show that two thirds (62%) of businesses are using more than one provider. Two thirds (65%) of businesses surveyed use private cloud, whilst nearly half (43%) are using public cloud. A quarter (23%) are using community cloud and a third (31%) are using a blended hybrid cloud. With over half (53%) agreeing that one cloud provider cannot do it all, it is clear that UK businesses realise that to achieve the right cloud strategy they have to use multiple providers.
The statistics go on to show that there is a mismatch between what businesses currently get from their cloud providers and what they need. This becomes particularly apparent when planning for future growth:

· Half (48%) expect to make big changes to their cloud platforms in the next 12 months to accommodate growth
· A quarter (25%) don’t expect their cloud provider to be meeting their business needs in 12 months
· Only 26 per cent of UK businesses feel their cloud provider really understands their business needs

With more than 60 per cent of businesses using cloud for both business-critical and general production activities, it is clear that businesses are looking to the cloud to support a wide mix of requirements. But the cloud still represents a huge opportunity as the majority (93%) have not yet been able to utilise the cloud fully.

Stewart Smythe, CEO at Adapt said: “UK businesses are dealing with multiple suppliers in order to get a right-fit cloud strategy but there are two main outcomes from this process. Firstly, from a management point of view, dealing with multiple suppliers is an inefficient balancing-act. Secondly, each separate supplier is left with an incomplete picture of the customer and the platforms provided therefore do not align with the customer’s long-term growth strategy. This is leading to businesses constantly striving for something that cannot be achieved and ultimately the feeling that they need to change providers.”

Philip Carse, Principle Analyst, Megabuyte said: “Providers that can bundle the most appropriate multi-provider services together under one contract, twinned with a real understanding of the customer’s strategy, will be the providers to make significant progress in the market space. These ‘integrators’ will act as a point of contact for ongoing management, support, consultancy and service development. The cloud market itself is an active one, with around 200 service providers operating in the space and M&As regularly taking place. It’s possible that those providers that can’t offer the high-level management layer necessary will be absorbed by others operating as ‘cloud integrators’ in the next five years.”

Smythe concluded: “The research illustrates how UK businesses are trying to create the right cloud model to match their needs. But it is clear that using an increasing number of different cloud platforms simultaneously can attract a series of problems. Adapt believes that this signals the need for a cloud integrator to help a customer manage the right platforms efficiently and ultimately improve their competitive advantage.”