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:
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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/