Many companies have virtualized their cloud servers, but few have currently implemented the core management and automation functions cornerstone to effective internal cloud solutions.

TheInfoPro, a division of analyst and data company The 451 Group, has released its in-depth "Cloud Study" that outlines the key market factors relating to cloud services growth. The cloud study is completed biannually and is based on hour-long interviews with cloud decision-makers at large enterprises in North America. Key sections of the report include "cloud drivers" and "inhibitors," "cloud budgets," "decision making" and "service delivery model preferences," "service management and orchestration," and vendor preferences."

Key highlights from TheInfoPro Cloud Study include:

• Fifty-two percent of interviewees said that internal change and learning was the leading roadblock to cloud project success. Pointing to possible pent-up demand for advisory services, as users struggle with the change brought on by the cloud. Other project roadblocks included up-front cost (15 percent) and security (13 percent).
• Cost reduction (68 percent) is the leading justification for implementing cloud services followed by increased flexibility/scalability (24 percent) and reduced complexity (21 percent), also key drivers toward the cloud.
• A majority (75 percent), of respondents said that they have virtualized their cloud servers. However, few have currently implemented the core management, automation and orchestration functionality, which are all cornerstones to the enablement of truly flexible, agile and cost effective internal cloud solutions.
• VMware continues to be the primary vendor selected for cloud enablement projects. For internal or private IaaS projects, 37 percent of interviewees said that VMware is their primary cloud enablement provider.

"The cloud market is at an inflection point right now and it’s critical to understand the opportunities for, as well as barriers to, adoption and growth," said Ken Male, managing director and founder of TheInfoPro. "In this study, we’ve applied TheInfoPro’s voice-of-the-customer research methodology and, now with Sean Hackett leading our Cloud practice, we’ve got the right combination of cloud analysis and underlying data from large IT organizations to give a clear picture of where the cloud market is heading", said Male.

"2011 continues to be the year of the internal cloud. Most organizations are increasing the efficiency and agility while lowering the cost of their internal IT assets,” said Hackett, Research director for Cloud at TheInfoPro. “Because of the cloud's economics and speed of deployment and flexibility, by and large many initiatives are in-fact additive, enabling organizations to drive projects that they otherwise weren’t able to in the past. Vendor and service providers will need to watch closely as the resulting shift will present opportunities and perils for both incumbents and emerging providers,” said Hackett.

Hackett has over a decade of experience as an IT industry analyst and consultant. Prior to TheInfoPro, he was responsible for the CloudScape practice at The 451 Group, the parent company of TheInfoPro. Prior to joining The 451 Group, Hackett worked at CA Technologies in Corporate Strategy. Prior to CA Technologies, Hackett directed IDC's IT Outsourcing and Utility Computing research program, where he was at the vanguard in identifying the disruptive potential of the cloud service-delivery model.

TheInfoPro Cloud Study

TheInfoPro Cloud Study, completed in May 2011, focuses on IaaS, PaaS & SaaS while taking an indepth look at key trends across the cloud services industry, as well as the performance of individual vendors. The study is completed biannually, and is based on hour-long interviews with cloud professionals and primary decision-makers at large and midsize enterprises in North America. The interview results are collected in comprehensive research reports that provide continuous business intelligence within key areas, such as technological road maps, spending plans and vendor performance. A sampling of vendors covered in the Vendor Performance and Technology Roadmap components of the study include: VMware, Salesforce, HP, IBM, Rackspace, Savvis, Verizon, Citrix, AT&T, Successfactors, Cisco, Oracle, Amazon, Dell, EMC, Microsoft, CSC, Joyent, and Google.