Investing in cloud infrastructure may be a top priority for many companies but it comes at a cost for IT pros who say the popular computing model makes their jobs more complex, according to new research. Almost two-thirds (61 per cent) of 656 decision makers in Australia surveyed by Forrester Research for VMware’s Annual Cloud Maturity Index said the model made their jobs harder as they push more mission critical applications and services to the cloud. This compared to 29 per cent of the 6500 respondents across Asia-Pacific. The study – which was the largest of its kind based on the number of respondents – also found that 58 per cent of corporates and government departments had already adopted cloud computing, up from 43 per cent last year. A further 20 per cent were planning to move to cloud computing. Not surprisingly, only 5 per cent of respondents believed cloud computing wasn’t relevant to their organisation. Respondents also had a broad range of concerns around the use of cloud models. Data privacy, residency and loss of control were the most common concerns, with system integration being the highest at 65 per cent, followed by security (63 per cent) and availability or performance concerns (58 per cent). Forrester Research’s VP and principal analyst, John Brand, said these barriers are potentially slowing cloud uptake but not preventing it. The study also found that almost one-third (62 per cent) of Australian organisations believe that failure to pursue cloud initiatives would put them at risk of falling behind competitors. Most local respondents (74 per cent) believe cloud could simplify access to IT resources while 74 per cent see increased workforce mobility and flexibility as a major enabler for their businesses. “Reducing cost is still an expected benefit by the majority of respondents,” said Forrester’s Brand. “However, it’s interesting to see that the use of automation with cloud computing is now viewed by more than 70 per cent of Australian respondents as being an expected benefit as well.” 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 Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP When natural disasters strike Japan, Ōita University’s EDiSON is ready to act With the technology and assistance of SAP and Zynas Corporation, Ōita University built an emergency-response collaboration tool named EDiSON that helps the Japanese island of Kyushu detect and mitigate natural disasters. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor Dec 07, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by BMC BMC on BMC: How the company enables IT observability with BMC Helix and AIOps The goals: transform an ocean of data and ultimately provide a stellar user experience and maximum value. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by BMC The data deluge: The need for IT Operations observability and strategies for achieving it BMC Helix brings thousands of data points together to create a holistic view of the health of a service. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business Small and Medium Business Small and Medium Business 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