Cloud computing, hybrid IT remain top priority for professionals

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (Bernama) -- Cloud computing and hybrid information technology (IT) will remain IT professionals' top priority for the next five years as it meets today's business needs while serving as the backbone to trends like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI).

This is one of the several findings highlighted in SolarWinds Worldwide LLC, a leading provider of powerful and affordable IT management software in its annual state-of-the-industry study - IT Trends Report 2018: The Intersection of Hype and Performance.

Other findings highlighted are:

+Over four-fifths indicate that cloud and/or hybrid IT and big data analytics are among the top five most important technologies in their organisation's technology strategy - 52 per cent listed cloud/hybrid IT as number one most important technology.

+IT professionals are setting their sights toward future innovation in emerging technologies like AI and ML - by weighted rank of IT organisation's technology strategy were number five and six priorities, respectively.

+Cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are investing heavily in AI technologies and capabilities, which presents an opportunity for IT professionals to leverage existing investment in cloud offerings.

+As AI and ML continue to mature, IT professionals will be required to have a fundamental understanding and capabilities to act as an educated liaison for business leadership.

+IT professionals also indicated that cloud/hybrid IT is the greatest challenge to implement, rollout and/or day-to-day performance. This is followed closely by IoT and big data analytics - 44 per cent of all respondents think that their IT environments are not operating at optimal levels.

+Many IT professionals cite a lack of organisational strategy and inadequacy in areas like application strategy and infrastructure as the most common barriers to system optimization.

The report explores IT professionals' view about what is happening in their technology worlds and how their organisations are prioritising existing and emerging technologies, a statement said.

The findings are based on a survey fielded in December 2017, which yielded responses from 94 IT practitioners, managers and directors across Singapore from public-and private-sector small, mid-size and enterprise companies.

Further findings about the study can be accessed at http://it-trends.solarwinds.com/

--BERNAMA