IT leaders struggle with complex cloud environments

Nearly all (98%) senior IT leaders have been impacted by increasing complexity in multicloud environments, according to research from NetApp.

The company’s global 2023 Cloud Complexity Report found that respondents from Australia and New Zealand rate cybersecurity as their top concern following the increasing complexity of data across their cloud environments (54%).

Other significant concerns include staff not taking full advantage of business applications (51%), increased scepticism over cloud from leadership (45%), and lack of visibility into business operations (44%).

Meanwhile, 86% of IT leaders from across the two countries are already expected to show a return on investment on what the company has spent on cloud environments. Globally, 49% of executives report that when cloud strategy discussions happen, cost concerns come up often or all the time.

Technology executives are responding to these pressures in various ways, including increasingly turning to AI as a possible solution. In Australia and New Zealand, 56% of IT leaders report that half or more of their cloud deployments will be supported by AI-driven applications by 2030.

NetApp Australia and New Zealand VP and Managing Director Matthew Hurford said the findings demonstrate that ANZ organisations are under ongoing pressure to manage their cyber risk, the adoption of emerging technologies and budget optimisation.

“While the data shows that managing cyber risk is consistently high across every region, the ANZ data shows that tech teams are not taking full advantage of applications, and this represents a huge opportunity,” he said.

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