Talking with Bill Saltys & Paul Vian from Apps Associates

In a recent survey conducted by Apps Associates, 300 IT decision makers using Oracle applications were polled to gain insights into their challenges and concerns around migrating to the cloud. The survey revealed some significant findings that shed light on the primary reasons for hesitation, the current status of cloud migration, and the evolving role of managed service providers (MSPs) in addressing these challenges.

Key Findings from the Survey

Security Outranks Cost as the Primary Concern

• 87% of IT decision makers stated that security outranks cost as the primary reason for Oracle migration hesitation.
• The heart and lungs of the organization, the applications, are a top concern for IT decision makers in terms of security and stability in the cloud environment.

The Shift in the Role of Managed Service Providers

• MSPs are now expected to provide strategic partnership and support for business growth, rather than just filling hours in a reactive break-fix model.
• MSPs play a significant role in addressing security, cost control, and licensing challenges faced by Oracle customers.

Cloud Migration Status

• A third of Oracle customers have already migrated their applications to the cloud, with 57% in the process of migrating.
• Post-migration challenges such as cost optimization, consumption management, and gap analysis are key areas where MSPs can provide support.

Addressing Common Obstacles

Security, Cost Control, and Licensing

• Security, cost control, and licensing are the top obstacles preventing IT decision makers from maximizing their Oracle applications in the cloud.
• Nearly 80% of Oracle customers believe that a move to the cloud will result in an Oracle audit, leading to unfavorable risk conditions.

Business Transformation and Cloud Sprawl

• MSPs are now instrumental in enabling business transformation, optimizing infrastructure costs, and simplifying the complexity of managing multi-cloud environments.
• Cloud sprawl is a common concern, and MSPs are sought after to provide insights and support in avoiding excessive cloud spend.

The Evolving Role of MSPs

Professional Services Support

• Organizations seek professional services support around compliance, governance, data protection, and data sovereignty.
• MSPs play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with regulations such as GDPR and other regional and global compliance requirements.

Addressing Data Protection and Compliance

• Data protection, data sovereignty, and overall compliance with regulations are key areas where organizations rely on MSPs to provide expertise and support.
• MSPs are expected to offer solutions for data protection and compliance to avoid breaching regulatory requirements.

The Future of Cloud Transformation

The survey findings provide valuable insights into the challenges and concerns faced by IT decision makers when it comes to maximizing their Oracle applications in the cloud. As the role of MSPs continues to evolve, organizations are turning to them for strategic partnership, support in business transformation, and expertise in addressing security, compliance, and cost control challenges.

In the next part of this blog series, we will delve deeper into the specific strategies and solutions offered by MSPs to address these challenges and support organizations in maximizing their Oracle applications in the cloud. Stay tuned for more insights and actionable recommendations to drive successful cloud migration and application optimization.

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