Concerns over the viability and potential advantages of the Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) are increasingly a thing of the past—IT and business professionals alike now readily acknowledge the significant benefits to be accrued from this dynamic trend.

More specifically, according to a new research study by HyTrust, Inc., as sophisticated workload security technologies help overcome fears of security risks, a stunning 93% of high-ranking executives believe that the benefits of migration to virtualization and the cloud are undeniable and quantifiable.

The HyTrust study, “Benefits & Winners: State of the Cloud and Software Defined Data Center,” leverages the OnePoll service and looks at how security and optimal SDDC strategies, platforms and deployments are benefiting organizations and meeting their needs in the real world. Participants include C-level business and tech executives—CEO, CFO, CIO, CTO, CISO/CSO (25%); VPs—VP, SVP, EVP (25%); Directors (10%); Managers (20%); and IT/Systems Administrators and Engineers (20%). A fifth of the 500 participants work at enterprises with more than 1,000 employees, while the rest represent mid-sized organizations (more than 250 employees) in both the USA and UK.

“It’s always been hard to deny the potential benefits of SDDC infrastructure, but in the past the obvious advantages have sometimes been overshadowed by concerns over security and compliance,” said Eric Chiu, president of HyTrust. “What we’re seeing now is clear progress in this exciting arena, as technology solutions that balance high-quality workload security with effortless automation push back those fears. The focus is now exactly where it should be: ensuring that the virtualized or cloud infrastructure enables tremendous cost savings with unparalleled agility and flexibility.”

Here’s a sampling of the responses:

• Asked whether optimal SDDC strategies and deployment can quantifiably drive up virtualization ratios and server optimization, and noticeably benefit the bottom line, 88% of the respondents—all of them in a position of responsibility in this sensitive field—say yes.
• When queried as to how well current SDDC platforms and strategies ensure top-tier security that meets their organizations’ needs, fully 94% of the executives surveyed say they do either ‘very well’ or ‘somewhat well.’ On an equally positive note, only 4% of the respondents say ‘not well.’
• Asked if better security will help companies more quickly derive the obvious benefits of an SDDC, including cost savings, agility and performance enhancements, 93% of the respondents say yes.

A look at which vertical industries deserve attention for the way they've embraced SDDC while maintaining, or even exceeding, their previous levels of security turns up surprises as well. Technology Companies/Corporations and Business Consulting and Management lead the way with 41.40% and 40.60% respectively. Not far behind are Emergency Services, and Financial Services, Banking, Insurance and Trading (34%). The latter comes as something of a surprise, given the industry’s habitual early adoption of technology innovations.

Telecommunications is another surprise, coming in at 27.6%, while Healthcare/Biotech/Medtech/Life Sciences/Pharma’s showing is at 28.60% perhaps reflecting remaining concerns about security. Retail registers a puny 12%, showing considerable room for improvement.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Some differences do appear when high-level executives are queried about their perception of the benefits to be accrued through optimal deployment of the SDDC paradigm. For example, when asked “Do you believe optimal SDDC strategies and deployment can quantifiably drive up virtualization ratios and server optimization, and noticeably benefit the bottom line?” fully 92% of those in the C-suite, as well as those at the VP/EVP/SVP level, say yes. Most of the responses here are positive, though the number does drop to 80% among participants at the Director level.

When asked whether they believe better security will help companies more quickly derive the obvious benefits of SDDC, the C-suite executives say yes by a factor of 89.6%—a high number by any account, but the lowest among the job titles surveyed. And when asked to identify the top vertical industries that deserve attention for the way they've embraced SDDC while maintaining, or even exceeding, their previous levels of security, more disparities appear. Among C-suite executives, Business Consulting and Management gets the top spot with 39.2%, while Emergency Services comes second with 36% (a consensus opinion). Among the VPs, meanwhile, Business Consulting and Management ranks much higher with 48.8%.

On balance, despite the surprise laggards, this research initiative clearly reveals a dynamic discipline making great strides. While not every concern has been eliminated, the migration to the Software-Defined Data Center is clearly picking up steam, and the tangible benefits are increasingly visible to every key constituency.

For more information about BENEFITS & WINNERS: The State of the Cloud and Software-Defined Data Center, please visit http://www.hytrust.com/cloud-sddc-study/