Security is a key HCI driver for more than half of IT decision makers

NetApp today announced the findings of its study to uncover the true scale of digital disruption. In a survey of 501 UK IT decision makers from the full spectrum of the enterprise, NetApp found that 82 percent of businesses are in the midst of digital transformation. Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) emerged as the answer for digital transformation acceleration, with 22 percent of respondents adopting the technology for scalability and 20 percent for access to data.

Key findings:

• Digital transformation is a top concern for big businesses
  The level of concern is high among larger businesses, with 42 percent seeing the digital transformation as a primary concern. Only 2 percent say digital transformation is a low priority.
• HCI is already in use for the majority of businesses
  To navigate increasingly data-driven enterprises, HCI is the solution of choice, with 80 percent of UK businesses already using it and 11 percent planning to in the next 12 months. Only 4 percent say they have no plans to adopt HCI.
• Security is a key motivation for HCI adoption
  Security is the leading motivation for HCI adoption (54 percent), with ease of use (44 percent) and cost savings (41 percent) following close behind. However, 49 percent state hardware costs as a primary concern when considering HCI adoption. With 78 percent of IT decision makers indicating that they are ready for HCI technology, the market is ripe for a next-gen HCI solution.

“We are in the middle of a massive shift from hardware to software environments,” said Tim Pitcher, vice president, NGDC, NetApp. “It is clear from NetApp’s research that businesses are informed and making the move to more software-defined infrastructures. Digital transformation is leaving no business untouched, and it is encouraging to see the openness to change, with the majority of UK businesses already using HCI. NetApp’s next-gen HCI solution is set to plug the market gap with its data fabric integration and automation capabilities. It is not only smaller businesses that benefit from HCI’s automation features, but big businesses too – such features could go some way to alleviating their concerns around digital transformation.”

NetApp HCI is the world’s first enterprise-scale hyper converged infrastructure (HCI) solution that offers enterprise-grade performance, flexibility and scale and automation. Running on SolidFire technology and delivered on a NetApp designed architecture, NetApp HCI enables enterprises, midsize businesses, and service providers to maximise their infrastructure by simplifying management and independently scaling both compute and storage resources. For more information visit: http://www.netapp.com/us/products/converged-systems/hyper-converged-infrastructure.aspx