FEATURE: CLOUD SOLUTIONS
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Is cloud computing
the next big market?
While it’s possible to argue that cloud computing in the Middle East is still an emerging market,
we look at three developments that illustrate an increasing acceptance of cloud in the region.
Retailers look to
hybrid cloud as
they search for
flexibility
Nutanix, a leader in enterprise cloud computing, has announced the
retail industry findings of its second Enterprise Cloud Report, measuring
retailers’ plans for adopting private, hybrid and public clouds.
A
report from Nutanix has found most retailers (87.5%) identified
hybrid cloud as the ideal IT operating model. It also showed many
retailers (72%) are planning to move some public cloud applications
back on-premises. Retailers recognise that seamless customer
experience is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s a critical factor in
winning new customers and retaining existing ones – and flexible
cloud infrastructure is critical to delivering it.
A recent IDC report noted that worldwide spending on customer
experience technologies will reach US$641 billion in 2022,
demonstrating it’s at the forefront of business leaders’ strategy. In
line with broader IT industry trends, many retailers also recognise the
full, long-term costs of the public cloud. Additional findings of this
year’s report include:
• Retailers focus most on agility: Unlike in the broader IT
industry, where cost is the top driver, retailers ranked the ability to
accelerate IT deployments (54.3%) as the top factor in deciding
the best cloud environment for each application. In order to adapt
quickly to customer trends in an age of multichannel selling across
many platforms, retailers are leading the pack in maximising the
flexibility of IT infrastructure to keep pace.
• Security is top of mind: Data showed that security heavily
shapes retail cloud deployment plans. Nearly two-thirds of
respondents (63.6%) said security has
significant influence on their future
cloud deployments, with hybrid cloud
specifically identified as the most secure
(32%). As data privacy regulations
continue to tighten and expand, retailers
are at the forefront of looking for ways
to efficiently manage customer data
securely. Hybrid cloud operating models
offer the security and flexibility retailers
need to stay ahead of policy changes.
• Retail leads in digital apps and
IoT cloud deployments: Always
innovating to keep pace with customers’
demands, retailers outpace averages
in using the public cloud to run digital
applications and Internet of Things
(IoT) applications. They also run their
business applications more often in
the public cloud than other industries,
with about 11% current penetration of
multiple public clouds and about 19%
penetration of a single public cloud.
“Staying relevant to today’s customers
means having the necessary cloud
infrastructure in place to embrace
omnichannel retail experiences,” said Greg
Smith, VP of Product Marketing, Nutanix.
“Retailers use data to connect the
e-commerce and in-store shopping
experiences, and the only way they can
do this accurately and efficiently is through
flexible, scalable technology. The rise of
selling on social media platforms also
means integrating payment into the user
experience, bringing security and protection
of customers’ data to the forefront of
retailers’ minds. Hybrid cloud provides
the portability and control needed to
bring retailers into the new era of
customer experience.” •
40 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com