According to new research by CTERA Networks, the growing cloud storage market is being driven by organizations leveraging cloud storage for a variety of file-related needs. The report highlights the challenges that enterprises face providing cloud storage and file sharing services, while reducing IT costs and maintaining security and data control.
These findings are included in CTERA’s annual 2015 Enterprise Cloud Storage Report, the result of a 300 IT professionals survey conducted by independent panel research firm Research Now. CTERA’s annual report highlights the state of the enterprise cloud storage market. It reflects the drivers of both private and public enterprise cloud storage adoption, the challenges that enterprises face, and how they intend to address privacy, security, and data governance concerns.
Key takeaways and findings of the report include:
- Security and data governance concerns within the enterprise are driving EFSS (enterprise file sync and share) adoption. In fact, 35 percent of organizations experienced corporate data leakage in 2014 as a result of employees sharing files via often-unsanctioned FSS services (a four percent increase from 2013). This trend is likely to increase as enterprises battle to gain more visibility and control over information stored in the cloud. For example, 83 percent of organizations have established corporate policies that either sanction the use of specific SaaS-based file sharing solutions or forbid their use entirely.
- Huge opportunity exists for providers of private cloud storage tools and those providing storage infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) to reduce costs, while maintaining security and control. Nearly three out of four companies (73 percent) have implemented or are considering an alternative to public FSS, and two thirds of those favor private or “virtual private” cloud storage solutions over SaaS solutions. In addition, 59 percent of those organizations indicated that they favor a private cloud FSS solution run either on hosted (virtual private) infrastructure or in their own datacenter.
- Cloud storage gateways are replacing and augmenting traditional file servers and tape storage, particularly in remote or branch offices (ROBO). One third (33 percent) of all organizations with more than 50 ROBOs have implemented on premise cloud storage gateways that support both the private cloud and public cloud, and 27 percent of all companies have implemented them. In addition, 36 percent of all organizations are currently considering implementing cloud storage gateways.
- Pressure exists for organizations to establish contemporary cloud storage solutions that provide the visibility and control required to meet enterprise needs and industry regulations. Forty-two percent of enterprises in the more heavily regulated financial services, government and life sciences industries and 40 percent of organizations with 10,000 employees or more prefer a completely private cloud that does not rely on external hosted infrastructure.
“Cloud storage is simplifying and accelerating data services across the enterprise. However, an increasing number of data leakage events, and a desire to exercise more control over file sharing and data protection are forcing organizations to investigate and deploy alternatives to public cloud storage services,” says Rani Osnat, VP of Strategic Marketing at CTERA. “In our second year of research, the trend continues, demonstrating that organizations are leveraging cloud storage for efficiency gains and cost savings, while combatting security, control and governance requirements with virtual-private or fully-private topologies.”
The report can be downloaded at www.ctera.com/enterprise-cloud-storage-survey-2015.
