Are you using cloud infrastructure in your organization? If you are not using the cloud to deliver applications or IT services today, you will be soon.
Cloud services are not the future…they are the now. Enterprises of all sizes are embracing cloud services for many reasons. One key driver is the ability to immediately access computing power, storage, and database services without the need or overhead of setting up or adding to a datacenter. This could mean a faster time to value when delivering IT services. And for many companies, it is advantageous to put infrastructure services in their operational budgets rather than what previously would have been a capital expense.
Each quarter, IDC (International Data Corporation) updates their Worldwide Quarterly Cloud IT Infrastructure Tracker report. In the latest version published this month, they forecast that in just three years, spending on public and private cloud infrastructure will surpass that of traditional datacenter spending, a concept that would have been unheard of not too long ago.
Spending on cloud infrastructure is growing at a compound annual growth rate of over 11.7% per year, and will become a $47.2 Billion market by 2021. Compare that to traditional IT spending in the same survey, with a CAGR of negative 3%.
With the rapid adoption of cloud services, many make the mistake of thinking that traditional software and IT asset management practices go away. While license compliance risk may be lower than traditional on-premises software, particularly for SaaS applications, there is a different risk of costs that can spiral out of control if the cloud is not managed closely.
One important aspect of why cloud services are so attractive is their ease of purchase and setup. With many public cloud vendors, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, anyone with a credit card and an email address can establish an account and quickly stand up a cloud instance. Purchasing a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 is just as easy.
This ease of purchase is a terrific benefit to agile and dynamic business units, departments and project teams. Business unit managers, engineering departments, and project managers can purchase cloud infrastructure or SaaS applications to fit their specific requirements without going through the IT organization or procurement department. This results in faster time to acquisition and deployment, and lower overhead.
But, what happens when even more of an enterprise’s business units, departments and project teams add cloud instances and capacity, precisely because of the ease of purchase?
It can result in “cloud sprawl” – the uncontrolled proliferation of cloud instances, which often occurs when an organization lacks visibility into, or control over, its cloud computing purchases and utilization. And cloud sprawl can be very expensive, negating the cost advantages of the cloud very quickly.
So what can you do about managing your cloud costs? If you are using the cloud or will be soon, be sure to watch our webinar “Keeping a Lid on Costs for Cloud Infrastructure and SaaS Applications.”
We will review some market trends about the cloud, and look at the challenges and strategies for managing cloud infrastructure and SaaS costs. Be sure to join us on April 27, May 2, or May 4, depending on your time zone for an informative session.
Be sure to join us on the following dates and times:
April 27 – 10:00 am (US Central Time)
May 2 – 2:00 pm (Australia)
May 4 – 10:00 am (United Kingdom)
Remember, the cloud is now!
And if you cannot join us on one of the dates above, be sure to register for the on-demand webinar recording when it becomes available.