Cloud Survey Reveals: Performance Becomes a Burning Issue

Cloud computing technology spread around the globe rapidly and its adoption introduced different types of innovation in business environment. However, ever since the buzz around cloud-based tech solutions has started, the world’s eyes were set upon potential problems.

Over the last few years, the top concern for companies planning to move to the cloud has been security but as the cloud develops, new issues emerge. The recent survey carried out by Internap Network Services Corporation revealed some fresh pieces of information related to public cloud infrastructure. The survey polled almost 250 Internet infrastructure decision makers worldwide to give us a new insight into the state of public cloud adoption and usage.

Security is still a top concern

Just like many other surveys did over the last several years, Internap confirmed that modern businesses (unjustifiably) fear security threats in the cloud. Even though only 15% of companies that already use cloud services regarded security as a challenge, 40% of those that still haven’t adopted the cloud find security a major concern. These digits point out that security risks may be highly overestimated, considering the fact that most organizations that actually use the cloud don’t experience major problems in this respect.

Performance issues on the rise

While security remains the top concern for organizations that are not using cloud services, performance seems to be a major problem for those that do. The survey reports that 30% of cloud-wise organizations faced performance issues, along with 59% of those that use the cloud to host big data applications. In reference to this issue, Gopala Tumuluri from Internap notes:

“The survey data clearly indicates that big data applications – such as those that enable personalization and targeting through customer insights, social analytics and location mapping – are pushing the performance limits of virtual public cloud environments at price-points that don’t make business sense”.

Public cloud and virtualization

Among other things, the survey revealed that an important number of organizations (66%) mistakenly relate virtualization to public cloud. Most respondents have cited virtualization as “a defining characteristic of the cloud” which confirms that they still have a lot to learn about these innovative technologies. Namely, public clouds don’t have much to do with virtualization, even though they may share some similar features. Therefore, it is clear that despite the buzz surrounding the cloud for years, its definition remains vague to both companies that use it and those that don’t.

Conclusions

Public cloud systems are now widely used in companies of all sizes and they certainly represent one of the most efficient forms of IT infrastructure innovation. Infant trend as it is, cloud computing may still appear confusing, which is why companies are likely to have some impossible expectations from it. Here security is obviously an important yet overestimated factor, while virtualization is obviously not well understood. The findings of the survey help general public get a better insight into predominant issues in the cloud, and it’s up to individual organizations to develop their own strategies with cloud-based systems.

Author Bio:

Leana Thorne is a devoted blogger and a regular contributor to several tech blogs. She enjoys exploring new internet technologies and sharing newly found information – currently about cloud and reseller hosting and is always happy to be of help.