Blog

The Cloud Adoption Showdown: 2018 vs. 2019

January 27, 2020 | min

Like all trends, cloud adoption rates ebb and flow with changing business demands. Inevitably, the cloud model of choice one year might drop off the pedestal the next. So, which model reigns supreme this year?

In collaboration with Vanson Bourne, we’ve tracked cloud adoption rates in the annual Enterprise Cloud Index report, and with the still-fresh launch of our 2019 edition, it’s time to take a look at some of the critical differences between it and the 2018 predecessor. 

IT’s Favorite Cloud Model is…

Surprise, surprise: IT still crowns hybrid cloud #1!

In 2018, 91% of IT pros surveyed identified hybrid cloud as their ideal cloud computing model, and in 2019, that number dropped slightly to 85%. 

What accounts for that difference? It could be that we’ve upped our survey pool from 2,300 to 2,650. We also predict that the dip could be the result of newly emerging (yet still hard-to-find) hybrid cloud management tools. In fact, 69% of respondents from the 2019 report say that while they’d certainly benefit from hybrid cloud, their IT vendors don’t provide the solutions they need to build and manage a hybrid cloud.

And on the topic of hybrid cloud, 49% agree—in both surveys—that it fits all of their IT needs. Good on you, hybrid cloud!

Comparing Cloud Priorities

IT decision-makers have a lot to consider when choosing a cloud model, but their most critical priorities do change year after year.

Businesses have always known data security and compliance are important, and with the rise of cyberattacks and with increasingly sophisticated breaching methods, it’s no surprise security outpaced application mobility this year. In fact, 89% of companies say they’re not fully satisfied with their security strategy. If you’re one of them, check out the free Security-First Design eBook for tips on optimizing your approach.

Not to mention, security runs other IT decisions, with 26% of surveyors citing security as the top variable in determining where they’ll run a workload. 

The Adoption Drop-off

It’s apparent that hybrid cloud remains a popular cloud ideal, but are the 85% of surveyors who list it as their preferred model actually adopting it?

The short answer: no. In 2018, 18% of respondents said they had adopted hybrid cloud into their business. But in 2019, not only did that number fall by 5.4%, but traditional datacenter use increased by 12.3%. 

Despite this drop, long-term hybrid cloud adoption plans remain pervasive, but the decline reveals that in the short-run, businesses haven’t regrouped yet to make big hybrid cloud decisions. 

It’s time to make that leap. And luckily, designing and building your own hybrid cloud is way easier than you think. Take a look at the O’Reilly design guide below for best practices, recommendations, and adaptation strategies. 

Disclaimer: © 2020 Nutanix, Inc. All rights reserved. Nutanix, the Nutanix logo and all Nutanix product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nutanix, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder(s). This post contains links to external websites that are not part of Nutanix.com. Nutanix does not control these sites and disclaims all responsibility for the content or accuracy of any external site. Our decision to link to an external site should not be considered an endorsement of any content on such a site..