According to a new study from International Data Corporation (IDC), the cloud - packaged software solutions licensed as subscriptions and delivered over the Internet - will have a major impact on the European software market in 2011. IDC's European software team has developed 10 predictions for the European software market in 2011, outlining the effect these will have on software vendors, IT managers and directors, business models, security, and cloud use cases.
The evolution of cloud services as a transformational force in the European software market will touch every aspect of the software ecosystem, be it developers, vendors, buyers, users, service providers, and the channel. A number of factors will impact the speed and pattern of cloud services adoption in Europe, including continued sensitivity over the privacy, protection, and location of data and cultural differences between countries that influence their attitude toward cloud-based services, particularly those provided from outside Europe.
"The cloud has moved from being on the periphery of both IT buyers and IT vendors to being a core issue for both parties," said David Bradshaw, research manager, European SaaS and cloud services, IDC. "IT buyers are looking for ways for cloud to increase agility while reducing cost, while many IT vendors, not least the software vendors, are scrambling to get their cloud offerings into the market before it is too late."
According to Eric Domage, research manager, European security products and services, IDC, "Security was a long-term inhibitor to cloud adoption. Organizations have adopted cloud, despite the security questions, and the challenge now is to keep control over cloud adoption. New technologies released in 2011 will help better manage this complex, flexible, and always changing IT resource."
"Infrastructure software will play a key role in automating the management and monitoring of large cloud environments, but also in orchestrating private and public cloud services," said Carla Arend, program manager, European infrastructure software, IDC.
IDC's top 10 cloud predictions for the European software market in 2011 are as follows:
1. Software vendors will have to intensify their efforts to become cloud players in Europe
2. SaaS will turn IT directors into process and procurement managers
3. "Local cloud" will accelerate SaaS adoption in Central and southern Europe
4. Cloud "wholesale" models will emerge
5. Big data will become a key use case for cloud BI
6. Cloud-based social business platforms will become increasingly important
7. Security, compliance, SLAs, and data location will not be solved in 2011
8. Cloud security will break down more barriers than expected
9. Cloud governance will grow in importance but won't impede growth
10. Commoditization of IT infrastructure will accelerate
A more detailed discussion of the impact of cloud adoption on the European software markets can be found in IDC Predictions: The Impact of Cloud Adoption on the European Software Market (IDC #FB51T, February 2011).
For more information, please contact:
- David Bradshaw for cloud and SaaS related inquiries (dbradshaw@idc.com)
- Bo Lykkegaard for the impact of cloud on enterprise applications markets (blykkegaard@idc.com)
- Alys Woodward for the impact of cloud on BI and social platforms markets (awoodward@idc.com)
- Eric Domage for cloud security, identity, and governance related inquiries (edomage@idc.com)
- Carla Arend for the impact of cloud on infrastructure software markets (carend@idc.com)
- Megan Dahlgren for cloud-related consulting inquiries (mdahlgren@idc.com)
- Matthew Heath for press inquiries (mheath@idc.com)
The evolution of cloud services as a transformational force in the European software market will touch every aspect of the software ecosystem, be it developers, vendors, buyers, users, service providers, and the channel. A number of factors will impact the speed and pattern of cloud services adoption in Europe, including continued sensitivity over the privacy, protection, and location of data and cultural differences between countries that influence their attitude toward cloud-based services, particularly those provided from outside Europe.
"The cloud has moved from being on the periphery of both IT buyers and IT vendors to being a core issue for both parties," said David Bradshaw, research manager, European SaaS and cloud services, IDC. "IT buyers are looking for ways for cloud to increase agility while reducing cost, while many IT vendors, not least the software vendors, are scrambling to get their cloud offerings into the market before it is too late."
According to Eric Domage, research manager, European security products and services, IDC, "Security was a long-term inhibitor to cloud adoption. Organizations have adopted cloud, despite the security questions, and the challenge now is to keep control over cloud adoption. New technologies released in 2011 will help better manage this complex, flexible, and always changing IT resource."
"Infrastructure software will play a key role in automating the management and monitoring of large cloud environments, but also in orchestrating private and public cloud services," said Carla Arend, program manager, European infrastructure software, IDC.
IDC's top 10 cloud predictions for the European software market in 2011 are as follows:
1. Software vendors will have to intensify their efforts to become cloud players in Europe
2. SaaS will turn IT directors into process and procurement managers
3. "Local cloud" will accelerate SaaS adoption in Central and southern Europe
4. Cloud "wholesale" models will emerge
5. Big data will become a key use case for cloud BI
6. Cloud-based social business platforms will become increasingly important
7. Security, compliance, SLAs, and data location will not be solved in 2011
8. Cloud security will break down more barriers than expected
9. Cloud governance will grow in importance but won't impede growth
10. Commoditization of IT infrastructure will accelerate
A more detailed discussion of the impact of cloud adoption on the European software markets can be found in IDC Predictions: The Impact of Cloud Adoption on the European Software Market (IDC #FB51T, February 2011).
For more information, please contact:
- David Bradshaw for cloud and SaaS related inquiries (dbradshaw@idc.com)
- Bo Lykkegaard for the impact of cloud on enterprise applications markets (blykkegaard@idc.com)
- Alys Woodward for the impact of cloud on BI and social platforms markets (awoodward@idc.com)
- Eric Domage for cloud security, identity, and governance related inquiries (edomage@idc.com)
- Carla Arend for the impact of cloud on infrastructure software markets (carend@idc.com)
- Megan Dahlgren for cloud-related consulting inquiries (mdahlgren@idc.com)
- Matthew Heath for press inquiries (mheath@idc.com)
