The Spiceworks Cloud Barometer

Voice of IT TM

July 2012

The Spiceworks Cloud Barometer:

Insights into how small and mid-size companies use cloud services to support file sharing, email and productivity applications.

A Spiceworks Market Insights Report sponsored by EMC

To say the IT market is going through a transformative period would be an understatement. Yes, cloud computing is changing the way businesses and individuals purchase and consume technology. Yes, consumerization and BYOD (bring your own device) are mashing together personal and business data and applications on the sameMdeigvricaetsio. Anntdo ythese, Cmlobuidlity via smartphones, tablets and, soon, ultralight noteb(oBoakssedis omnackoinmgpaaccneiessibuislitnygtothaepcplloicuadtiotonds ayndordiantathueninverxsta6l. months)

71% While70m%uch of the market calls cloud, consumerization and mobility "transformative trends," they're

equal6l0y%characteristic of a larger movement around "comprehensive productivity." And what business

9% couldn't use a little boost in output? Businesses and their employees are searching for ways to remain 48% conne50c%ted, collaborate, and share data while simultaneously having complete access to their personal

6% digita4l0l%ife. Consumerization is the trend driving the convergence of business and personal digital lives,

but the trends of cloud computing and mobility are truly enabling consumerization.

52% 20% 30%

To grasp how this is impacting small and mid-size businesses, Spiceworks conducted a study with 323

42% 6% users2a0c%ross North America and EMEA to find out how the cloud is effecting three business applications

that in10f%luence employee productivity: file sharing/storage, email and productivity suites. Spiceworks is the

14% world's largest social business network for IT pros that offers free network management software coupled

with a0%n active community for discussion around all things IT. In 2011 alone IT professionals spent almost

File Sharing

Email

Productivity

three billion minutes in Spiceworks, making it one of the most acStuiviteessites in the IT industry.

Use Today

Plan to use in next 6 months

Migration to the cloud

File Sharing Email

52%

9% 61%

42% 6% 48%

Use cloud today Plan to use cloud in next 6 months

20% Productivity Suites

14% 6%

0% 20% 40%

60% 80%

EMC on Spiceworks

Use Cloud Today

52%

ETmHEaSilPICEWORKS

CLOUD

BAROMETER

Total

Use Cloud Today

42%

53%

49%

North America 43%

EMEA 37%

Productivity Suites

Total

North America EMEA

Overall, the findings show that productivity is a powerful lure. Cloud apps are in demand that reduce

Use Cloud Today

14%

15%

13%

burdens on internal IT management while simultaneously enabling access to data and applications

wherever and whenever users want. But SMBs struggle to find the best way to implement cloud-based

solutions while maintaining their principles around data control and security.

While both North American and EMEA companies have fairly similar usage rates across all of the cloudservices measured, North America leads the way in each category.

Usage of the cloud today by region

60%

50% 52% 53% 49%

40%

30%

20% 10%

0%

File Sharing

42% 43% 37%

Email

Total

North America

EMEA

* Based on companies using the cloud today

14% 15% 13%

Productivity Suites

2

THE SPICEWORKS CLOUD BAROMETER

Cloud-based file sharing: the employee-driven app

Users want access to data whenever they want and from whatever device is in their hands. To facilitate universal data, a broad field of innovative cloud-based companies has popped up across the landscape under the monikers of file-sharing, file synchronization and content management services. They all share the same basic characteristics: allowing users to store and back up unstructured data files (text, audio, video, images) in the cloud and making this data available on demand via any Web-compatible device.

Over half of respondents state they're using cloud-based file sharing services in their organization today and there's a distinct possibility every business has some level of file-sharing activity since employees can bring these services in through the front door. This is true for 33% of respondents who state they know their employees are using these services on their own and without approval. Another 5% are not sure what their employees are doing. IT departments are mixed on how to manage this behavior with 31% of companies allowing employees to use any provider they wish and another 32% discouraging the behavior at some level. This reluctance to implement policy indicates that employees and businesses want so badly to see the productivity benefits of file sharing that they might loosen their standard around security, access control and data management.

By region, North American companies are more likely to have an approved vendor for file sharing (25% vs. 12% for EMEA), while EMEA companies are more likely to have employees using file sharing services on their own (37% vs. 27% in North America).

"

Company use and management of file sharing services

Do your employees use any cloud-based le sharing services?

33% Yes, they are using them on their own

How does your IT department manage employee usage of cloud-based le sharing services?

Yes, and we have an

19% approved vendor

Nope, but planning to

implement these services in the next 6 months

9%

Not Sure

5%

Nope 35%

284 Respondents

8% 31%

24%

12% 25%

We allow employees to use any provider they wish We allow employees to use any provider, but we monitor bandwidth We allow employees to use only those providers approved by the IT department We discourage this behavior, but do not monitor it We strongly discourage employees using these services in the o ce

89 Respondents

"FROM THE COMMUNITY

I tend to give more leeway to some users if (file sharing) will make their work-life a little easier without negatively impacting the company.

Darko1884 Spiceworks User community.

3

THE SPICEWORKS CLOUD BAROMETER

While accessibility, collaboration and convenience are the top advantages gained from cloud-based file sharing, businesses often feel insecure about the data that's being passed through these services. This is why the lack of control over data and security, legal liabilities and compliance issues, and reliability are the top three concerns businesses harbor over file sharing. Only 6% have no concerns about file-sharing services. While many file-sharing companies tout the security of their services and how protection of data is paramount, they still operate in the public domain and are not impenetrable to hackers and malware.

Advantage and concerns with cloud-based file sharing

80%

70% 76%

What do you believe are the primary advantages of cloud-based le sharing services? (Select top 3.)

60%

50%

51%

40%

30%

36% 32%

20%

25%

10%

19% 14% 12%

3%

2%

0%

fromAcacensyswibhielitrey shaCrionlglabcaopraatbioilnit/iesConvenience feaBtuarceksup

Lower cost

useE/ainseteorfface

Security

feaStutorerasge

pleOastehespr,ecify

anIydaodnv'at nsetaeges

159 Respondents

What concerns does your company have with cloud-based le sharing services? (Select top 3.)

80%

70%

73%

60%

50%

49%

48%

40%

30%

36%

20%

24%

10%

4%

0%

secaurroiLtuyancidsksdouafetcsao/ntrol

comLepgliaalnlicaebility/

Reliability

heaMdaanchageement

uneExspcaelcatteindgcoorsts

pleOastehespr,ecify

156 Respondents

6%

anyWceondcoenr'nt shave

4

THE SPICEWORKS CLOUD BAROMETER

"

When it comes to the selection of cloud-based file sharing providers, employees play an essential role. Employees have a clear preference for Dropbox with 87% of IT pros stating this is the vendor their employees are using on their own. But vendor preference among IT pros isn't quite as clear. While Dropbox leads the way with nearly 30% of companies stating they use or plan to use them as their approved vendor, nearly 40% are using a file sharing provider in the "other" category. This fragmentation among IT pros indicates that there's no one solution that's accurately addressing the concerns of the IT department.

Cloud-based file sharing vendor preference

Employee Preference

Which cloud-based le sharing vendors are your employees using?

(Select all that apply)

IT Pro Preference

What provider did you select or are you most likely to select to support cloud-based le sharing for your company? (Select only one)

Dropbox

87%

Dropbox

28%

Box

8%

Box

10%

"FROM THE COMMUNITY

I love Dropbox and use it daily for my personal files. That being said I still have some concerns with corporate data being in a Dropbox account.

IT Freak Spiceworks User community.

Egnyte

Trend Micro

Other

0% 0% 20%

Egnyte

Trend Micro

Other

8% 6% 37%

93 Respondents

Don't know

11%

71 Respondents

Overall there's a clear desire for cloud-based file sharing services by small and mid-size businesses and their employees. But it's evident, from the IT perspective, that the playing field for this category remains open and no one vendor has emerged as the clear leader for this service. Therefore vendors need to find the right solution that addresses companies' concerns around security, compliance and reliability while giving them what they want: complete accessibility, collaboration and low cost. Otherwise the employee rather than the IT pro may be choosing the winner in this category.

5

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download