Cloud migration and data modernization go hand in hand, according to new research by Deloitte.
In a recently released report, “Data modernization and the cloud,” Deloitte Insights says no survey can definitively identify which is leading the migration—data modernization or cloud adoption. However, the study shows that almost all data management will involve modernization and moving to the cloud.
For the study, Deloitte surveyed 504 senior executives last April who reported they are decisionmakers when it comes to cloud or data management at their organizations. Some 46 percent were C-suite executives, 30 percent were senior executives or heads of a business unit, and 24 percent were managers or programmers.
The survey included executives from the consumer, finance, telecommunications, healthcare and government sectors, and results confirmed that both cloud migration and data modernization initiatives are well underway in most medium to large organizations in the U.S. All sectors reported modernization effort to be “generally successful.”
Some 62 percent of those surveyed expect to succeed in their data modernization efforts, although many do not have formalized plans. Even though fewer than half (48 percent) of respondents said they have a plan, many reported that their organizations are working on the modernization anyway.
The consumer, telecommunications, technology and media industries reported the highest level of fully completed data modernization, at 36 percent, followed by life sciences and healthcare, at 33 percent. Across all sectors, the majority were “in progress” toward modernization.
Deloitte advises organizations to move forward on data modernization and cloud migration simultaneously. However, if a company is only aligned to achieving one or the other, pursue some “stealth strategy” to incorporate the other, as well, it advises.
“If you are moving to the cloud, consider adopting some data modernization approaches, too,” Deloitte suggests. “If your primary need is to modernize data, you can do that most effectively in conjunction with cloud migration. Since the two trends are overlapping, a ‘two for one’ strategy is eminently reasonable.”
The majority of those surveyed in Delolitte’s study ranked data security as among the top two reasons for their organization’s cloud migration. The majority of respondents (57 percent) say they are incorporating data security into their data modernization.
Deloitte’s study follows a new report released last month by cybersecurity firm, Symantec, which cautions about the increased need for security measures during cloud migration. Most organizations are in the process of transitioning to the cloud, and this is making it difficult for IT departments to monitor security, Symantec said.
Enterprises must realign and, in some cases, reinvent their security programs for this new reality, according to Symantec’s Cloud Security Threat Report, “Adapting to the New Reality of Evolving Cloud Threats.”