Pandemic speeds up migration of infrastructure to the cloud

A new report from hybrid infrastructure solutions provider INAP shows that 54 percent of tech leaders say the pandemic has motivated their organization to move applications and workloads off-premise.

The survey of 500 IT infrastructure managers and senior technology leaders reveals that 53 percent say that their organizations are migrating to colocation and hyperscale public cloud environments, with 50 percent also turning to hosted private cloud solutions.

This hybrid infrastructure approach is a sign of the times, as many organizations are looking to downsize their on-premise data centers following a major shift to remote work.

"At every level of the economy and society, IT infrastructure and the professionals tasked with operating it are keeping the world moving in 2020," says Michael Sicoli, president and CEO of INAP. "The results of our survey indicate that the hybrid infrastructure future is becoming a reality a lot sooner for many organizations. As we enter 2021, the technology challenges presented by remote work and accelerated digital transformation initiatives will remain at the forefront for IT infrastructure managers, and as a result, technology professionals have solidified their position as an essential workforce."

Among other findings are that 35 percent say network, OS and data security are the most critical qualities they look for in an infrastructure solution. Just over half (51 percent) are considering virtual desktop infrastructure solutions to better support a lasting remote work environment. With the country potentially facing another lockdown, but a vaccine on the horizon, IT teams need to be prepared for sudden shifts to or from the office.

Pain points IT teams face for the remainder of the year are focused on troubleshooting new and changing environments, such as modifying network strategies for a return to the office (or staying permanently remote) and setting up help desk support.

Despite the unsettling times, optimism among IT teams has remained relatively strong. Only three in 10 cite budget or headcount restraints as a top challenge for their team, and six in 10 believe their companies will be investing more into IT infrastructure as the pandemic subsides.

The full report is available from the INAP site.

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