If before the pandemic, cloud computing experienced a meteoric rise, the circumstances caused by it did nothing but multiply its implementation and use by companies. And although their use continues unstoppable, the truth is that they come across some problems both in their access and in their total implementation in the day to day of many of these organizations.
At least, this is what emerges from the 6th Annual Cloud Usage Survey carried out by the company specialized in data management Denodo. 54% of the 150 organizations consulted in different regions of the world such as North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, work in the cloud at intermediate or advanced levels, which helps them become more flexible and resilient amid a subdued global economic situation. But be careful, cloud computing is also a thing for SMEs that use this way of working as a competitive tool to store data or develop native applications, among others.
The most used model continues to be the hybrid cloud, which prevails over the private cloud and much more over the public cloud especially from a flexibility and comfort point of view. And it is that, at present, many companies are reluctant to stop using their On Premise systems despite working in the cloud. In 2021, it also highlighted the use of Data Warehouses as the main electronic warehouse where a company keeps a large amount of information, as well as Data Lakes and Lake Houses.
The difficulties of the cloud
However, there are still barriers in the use and full exploitation of the advantages of cloud computing in organizations. Using a data driven approach is complicated, or what is the same, making strategic decisions for the company based on data analysis and interpretations, and because? due to the very difficulty of accessing them and adapting them to the different formats handled by the company, at least that is what 79% of those responsible consulted think.
Two more aspects are also missing, essential for a better use of cloud computing: lack of skills and lack of analytical tools to help turn raw data into insights (62%). A striking fact of the survey is that only 17% claim to take advantage of 75% or more of their data so, despite its great utility, cloud computing is still an “unreachable” tool and incapable of being used to its fullest. entirely by companies.
Most common uses of the cloud
As for what use companies give to the cloud, the survey reflects a continuous line with respect to recent years, such as the preparation of reports and dashboards, self-service business intelligence and analysis… although it is worth noting how There is a trend towards data virtualization and better preparation and combination of data for the benefit of organizations. This reflects at what point they are regarding the use and usability of the cloud.
Companies must overcome the barriers mentioned above to explore all the benefits that cloud computing offers, make better use of the data they have and consistent and reliable repositories. Once all this information can be better organized, it is essential to find a place to store the new data. “Organizations continue to express the need for real-time data, so it’s no wonder that its availability is not only desirable, but essential if they want to become data-driven enterprises,” said Ravi Shankar, senior vice president and Denodo CMO.
As for cloud providers, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) continue to be preferred by companies, although during 2022, AWS (44.6%) has taken the lead over Azure (26.2%). Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is the third most popular option (8%).
