Cloud now business as usual for Aussie enterprises

Around 86% of Australian enterprises are using cloud computing, and business units rather than IT are increasingly making the spending decisions, according to IDC Australia.

In a survey of Australian enterprises, the research firm found that usage of cloud computing had increased from 71% in 2012.

Respondents also indicated that business units (69.6%) have assumed greater responsibility than the IT department (59.8%) for selecting service providers in cloud computing projects.

IDC Australia senior analyst for cloud services research Raj Mudaliar said this finding confirms the firm’s previous observation that line-of-business managers have started to involve themselves in direct acquisition of cloud services.

“Until 2012, cloud was primarily an IT label for IT infrastructure services delivered as a service. Now, cloud is no longer just an IT infrastructure play,” he said.

“Cloud in 2013 is now business as usual for CIOs, IT managers and LOB managers. By 2015, cloud will be just another delivery model for a range of ‘as-a-service’ offerings.”

IDC Australia expects spending on public cloud services to grow from $884.4 million in 2012 to $2.67 billion in 2017, a CAGR of 24.7%.

On the private side, the firm noted that there had been a big shift from on-premises private cloud to virtual private cloud (VPC) models in 2011 and 2012. But while VPCs have proved safe for medium-risk applications, business-critical functions such as ERP are likely to remain on dedicated private clouds.