Only a few years ago, it seemed the world was waiting with bated breath for the advent of cloud computing.
At that time there was sparse disagreement as to the future of the enterprise technology environment. Virtualisation had already begun to make a significant impact on computing capacity, and with several exciting new developments on the horizon promising to take data off premises, reducing overheads and transforming IT into an operating expense, businesses were enthusiastic at the prospect of an entirely new paradigm.
What followed was a flood of cloud-based services aimed at both the consumer and corporate markets. As broadband and mobile connectivity gradually became increasingly ubiquitous, so remotely oriented data services began to permeate the strata of daily life.
Unrestrained
As is often the case with rapid growth, this environment is now out of control. A massive increase in the availability of cloud storage services has led to a concerning intensification of data fragmentation and complexity within corporate IT environments.
Increasingly disparate systems, multiple cloud offerings, unnecessarily duplicated records and the challenges associated with employee data leakage to popular services such as Dropbox or Webmail are primarily to blame. Without a comprehensive overview of mission-critical information, it is relatively impossible for corporate entities to make the most of the valuable insights it can provide.
Yes, in many ways, cloud storage - the very thing businesses had eagerly anticipated as a solution to the challenge of mounting IT cost and complexity - is the culprit.
Data obstruction
In a recent study conducted by global research and analysis forum, Freeform Dynamics, and sponsored by Mimecast, 82% of IT managers in UK and US midsized organisations see decision-making hampered by data availability issues and 77% by data inconsistency.
Furthermore, 81% are concerned that employees are putting sensitive data onto consumer grade cloud storage and services, while 93% admitted they are currently struggling to control critical corporate data.
Significantly, 83% of respondents admitted to seeing security risks regularly, while a concerning 38% are already experiencing the issues acutely.
Imagine this scenario: an IT manager is at a medium-sized enterprise with 300 employees, the vast majority which are sales orientated, and as a result, expected to be out on the road interacting with current or potential clients at all times.
In order to equip them with the necessary tools to meet their employment goals, the board recently made a critical decision to equip each staff member with a smartphone and laptop. Consequently, the IT manager was tasked with the responsibility of finding and installing a reliable cloud-based e-mail infrastructure to enable uninterrupted communication.
A massive increase in the availability of cloud storage services has led to a concerning intensification of data fragmentation.
Simultaneously, the organisation recently made the move to off-premises storage, giving employees the ability to more easily interact with company data while reducing IT overheads.
The transfer process between traditional on-premises systems and the newly implemented cloud offering was complex. Due to limited technical support, the IT manager is now faced with duplicated data on both systems. Furthermore, many personnel have been resistant to change and continue to upload fresh information to the old server.
Unfortunately, this system does not integrate well with the company's cloud e-mail offering, and as a result, several members of the sales team are now using Dropbox to store vital resources for later use. Often, these individuals remove files from the corporate infrastructure entirely.
It sounds more like a comedy of errors than reality. Unfortunately, this scenario has become fairly common within emerging enterprises. Cloud storage - the very thing that was expected to eradicate this kind of complexity and confusion, has only aggravated the challenge.
Fortunately, this technology can also be part of the solution. Although most respondents recognised that the uncontrolled use of public cloud services is aggravating data fragmentation challenges and risks, many also believe a managed adoption of cloud storage is a good way to achieve consolidation without sacrificing the pervasive access and convenience craved by users.
Put simply - cloud is the answer, but consolidation is the key. In order to benefit from this technology, business must control the internal use of public systems while applying a uniform internal approach to cloud services.
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