Many Australian organisations aren’t confident that their cloud service providers can help them move workloads between multiple environments, which is slowing the uptake of hybrid cloud. This was a key finding of a study – It’s a Hybrid Cloud World, Strategies for Cloud Success – completed by Forrester Consulting on behalf of NTT Communications ICT Solutions. Almost all (88 per cent) of the 150 CIOs and senior IT decision makers in Australia said they found it challenging to move workloads between cloud service providers to avoid vendor lock-in, something they prefer doing. In fact, 38 per cent reported that moving workloads was so difficult, it had jeopardised the transition and disrupted business. These factors have hindered the uptake of hybrid cloud infrastructure with only 12 per cent of organisations surveyed having used this model for a year or longer. This compared just over half that had used a public cloud solution and 47 per cent who had used a private cloud service. Around four in five respondents(78 per cent) reported not having used a hybrid model at all. “The lack of trust and lack of relevant services to make hybrid cloud work is resulting in only a limited set of possible workloads actually moving into the cloud as a whole,” Monte Davis, CEO of NTT Communications ICT Solutions told CIO. “We are seeing far fewer kinds of workloads in cloud environments because of this lack of trust.” Davis said it was understandable that many CIOs had not adopted hybrid cloud given the network, application and internal IT challenges. He said CIOs often feel that integrating cloud offerings with their current infrastructure is too costly and complex, not realising there are solutions that enable them to simplify and centralise their IT infrastructure. He said organisations were comfortable moving certain applications and services to the public cloud but as soon as there is a requirement to run a combined or hybrid cloud, people get nervous. He expects that over the next 12 to 18 months, more cloud service providers focusing on specific niches will complement their offerings with those from other cloud providers. “The cloud needs of Australian businesses have evolved – while cost and speed of deployment are still important factors, many organisations now find that simplified IT provides a platform for greater agility,” he said. NTT Communications ICT Solutions was created in November last year following the integration of NTT Australia, Frontline Systems and its subsidiary Harbour MSP. Its customers include online vehicle reservation service, Thrifty, which runs a hybrid cloud model; and DMM, an online forex trader and broker, that is using public cloud services. Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia Follow Byron Connolly on Twitter:@ByronConnolly Related content Opinion 5 hard questions every IT leader must answer Strong leadership is vital to IT success — and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Continual self-reflection is essential for knowing whether it’s time to restructure your approach to leading IT. By Thornton May Mar 28, 2023 5 mins Business IT Alignment IT Leadership Feature CIOs address the impact of hybrid work Assessing how some of the most progressive CIOs strive to provide both technological and emotional support for a dispersed workforce. By Pat Brans Mar 28, 2023 8 mins CIO Remote Work Employee Experience BrandPost Smart UPS Connectivity: what it is and why you need it By Veronica Lew Mar 27, 2023 4 mins Remote Access Opinion Huawei’s F5G rollout plan signals new wave of green technology and digital transformation At MWC, Gu Yunbo, President of Huawei’s Enterprise Optical Business Domain, sat down with CIO to discuss a raft of new F5G launches, and what they mean for enterprise computing. By Peter Kirwan Mar 27, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe