Who is joining the cloud? German companies definitely - or rather, the majority of them have been there for a long time. Nine out of ten companies are already using cloud applications, and for only three percent of companies is this not an issue at all, shows a representative survey conducted by Bitkom in May 2023. Just ten years ago, just one third of companies were on the move in the "cloud". Today, on the other hand, almost all of them are already using the cloud in principle, sometimes to a greater extent, sometimes to a lesser extent. "But the intensity of use will increase sharply in the next few years. Cloud is the new normal of the digital world," according to Bitkom. We at GECO can definitely underline this: The majority of our customers, across all industries and sectors of the economy, have long since recognized the opportunities and are currently migrating to cloud solutions - also with the help of our know-how.
"The New Normal" - the most popular cloud applications.
And that's a good thing. Because: "The strategic orientation of companies towards the cloud remains a key element for digitization in Germany as a business location," finds not only OnetoOne magazine. According to Bitkom, around half of companies already prefer cloud solutions for new IT projects or are pursuing a so-called "cloud native" approach. The now very extensive offering finds its corresponding expression in the increasingly "cloudy" IT landscapes of German companies: Storage solutions are the most popular (used by 92 percent). This is followed by web conferencing, computing power, software for Office as well as for personnel, accounting or financial planning, which are already used in the cloud by around three quarters of companies.
Goals: Cost reduction and greater efficiency and flexibility
The advantages of cloud solutions are obvious: instead of operating their own servers, data centers and complex IT structures at great expense and buying expensive hardware and software solutions, user companies shift these investments to the service provider. Access is fast and independent of time and location, which greatly simplifies handling. Via pay-per-use, only what is actually used is paid for - with maximum scalability at the same time. All this relieves the IT department, saves costs and increases business flexibility.
The security hurdle?
Unfortunately, as is often the case, it is not quite that simple. There are two main challenges that companies face when entering into or using cloud solutions. Firstly, the issue of security: companies naturally have a responsibility to protect their data and applications in the cloud appropriately and in line with data protection requirements. The issue of data protection in particular is causing great concern among many management teams - the skepticism certainly also has to do with the draconian penalties for violations of the recently five-year-old General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO). Around 60 percent of companies believe that data protection and IT security requirements are too high in the context of cloud migration, and around two-thirds are concerned about unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Excitingly, there is an extreme discrepancy between companies' reservations and reality: just one percent of cloud-using companies have been the victim of an attack that had an impact on operations - 64 percent had no attack on the cloud environment at all. In fact, the migration to cloud solutions even resulted in increased security for many companies: "Switching to the cloud can significantly increase IT security in companies, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises that cannot afford a large IT department," Bitkom concludes from its survey. And there have also been some changes in the area of data protection: many cloud providers, including international ones, now comply with the DSGVO regulations. Most German companies nevertheless rely on cloud data centers in Germany or the EU. The bottom line is that it is always advisable to work with experienced cloud security experts and always stay up to date with the latest best practices to minimize potential risks.
Cloud obstacles: Lack of personnel and expertise
However, this is precisely where the second major hurdle lies - a well-known issue: namely, on the other hand, there is a lack of qualified personnel to build up internal expertise on the cloud. 65 percent of companies complain about the lack of skilled workers. Nevertheless, they invest in training and other measures to sensitize their employees to the use of cloud technologies. Many companies would like to involve even more external experts: according to the Bitkom survey, 42 percent see a lack of external advice as one of the biggest obstacles to implementing cloud projects. You too? We'll be happy to help.
Find experts for your cloud topics - at GECO!
Whether it's about the security of your existing corporate cloud or setting up and expanding your cloud structures: as one of the leading IT staffing companies, we have the right IT specialists to develop, implement or modify your cloud strategy. Interested? We look forward to your call!