Too many cooks in the Cloud-apps kitchen

Centrix Software has revealed the results of its latest end-user report detailing cloud-based application usage. The research shows that cloud-based apps have flooded organisations, with nearly 90% of UK companies using them.

The survey states that 78% of organisations have created a pro-active plan for cloud adoption in 2015. A third of all CIO’s named the growing cost of cloud subscriptions, managing the increasing number of cloud apps in use, and duplication of app functionality as their top three concerns.

Amongst other concerns were shadow IT (53%) and tracking and measuring usage. Perhaps surprising the survey reveals that the financial services and government sectors are the furthest behind in cloud app adoption. 20% of CIOs said they had no cloud-based app usage, while 24% of financial services CIOs were not planning to focus on cloud apps at all in 2015.

However, there is still confusion over how the move to the cloud should be prioritised, which app’s are most suitable, who pays for the apps and what the risks are.

The research shows that the responsibility for selecting, purchasing and managing cloud-based apps is becoming increasingly shared between IT and business users, which is changing the way end-user computing is delivered.

Business users are said to be involved in 53% of cloud app decisions, with 17% solely responsible for app decisions and 36% sharing the responsibility with IT. 33% of business users hold direct responsibility of the budget, with a further 27% managing the budget jointly with IT.

A Gartner report adds to the veracity of these findings. The report titled, ‘Improve ITAM Controls Now or Face Unbudgeted Costs’, states that CIO’s are concered with the diversification of cloud responsibility as it raises data and content security concerns along with governance issues. 61% said that security of organisational content and data was their top concern, while 82% put security concerns in their top 3.

The report is aimed at helping anyone trying to understand both the challenges and opportunities presented by cloud-based apps.The survey asked 125, UK-based IT directors and CIO’s across both the commercial and public sectors.