Hybrid’s Dominance Brings New Focus to the Data Center

While many enterprises are using cloud for storage, compute, and network services, the are many reasons (investments in existing infrastructure, data privacy and control, and more) to keep some things on-premises. As such, data centers remain important and are a critical part of what is now the most dominant deployment model: hybrid infrastructures.

Recent global market research from IBM confirmed just how prevalent hybrid has become. The IBM Transformation Index: State of Cloud, commissioned by IBM and conducted by The Harris Poll, found that 77% of enterprises surveyed have adopted a hybrid cloud approach.

The Index, based on the responses of 3,000 business and technology decision-makers from 12 countries and across 15 industries, was created to help organizations map their cloud transformation and empower them to self-classify their progress. It reveals why hybrid is so important.

For example, it found a strong correlation between hybrid cloud adoption and progress in digital transformation. In fact, 71% of those surveyed think it's difficult to realize the full potential of a digital transformation without having a solid hybrid cloud strategy in place.

Additionally, the study found that individual clouds cannot address all of an enterprise's requirements, so enterprises must use a hybrid approach. Why? "The key value of cloud for businesses is rapid access to innovative technologies, data sources, and applications required to navigate current disruptions and transform businesses," said Rick Villars, Group Vice President of Worldwide Research at IDC.

Related:IBM Cloud: Hybrid Clouds Offer Innovation, but Not Without Challenges

How This Impacts the Data Center

User expectations today are incredibly high. It does not matter if it is an employee, customer, client, or partner, all are accustomed to 24x7 access to applications and services that are highly responsive.

As such, IT and data center managers have a large role to play in optimizing hybrid infrastructures and environments. The greatest pressure is meeting modern business demands. Due to user demands and expectations, many companies now operate with an always-on approach, which places a burden on data center managers to keep sites running.

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