New data released today found that 94 percent of IT decision makers face barriers to cloud success, with a majority citing a shortage of talent as a top challenge. The survey report from Wakefield Research and Logicworks, a leading cloud migration and managed services provider, highlights why cloud projects tend to slow down, and confirms that non-technical challenges are the most significant roadblock in cloud transformation efforts.
Most striking from the Challenges of Cloud Transformation report, 86 percent of the 400 surveyed IT decision makers believe that a shortage of qualified engineers will slow down cloud projects in 2020. Nearly 2 in 3 (63%) agreed that it’s harder to find a qualified engineer than it is to find Bigfoot. This talent shortage doesn’t just slow down cloud migration, it also means that engineers are contacted more frequently by recruiters; 77% of IT leaders say staff turnover is disruptive to cloud operations.
In addition to staffing challenges, a lack of strategic alignment on cloud goals is a major roadblock to cloud success. More than 4 in 5 (84%) of IT leaders wish their company’s executives understood more about what IT does, and 76 percent say leadership underestimates the cost and effort of cloud management.
These results reveal that IT managers are often facing challenges on many fronts. With increasing pressure from staff turnover, compliance mandates, and greater-than-expected effort required for cloud migration, it’s not surprising that 40% of IT leaders plan to hire outside consultants in 2020.
“The exponential innovation and complexity of public cloud platforms and complementary technologies creates a major challenge in attracting, affording, and retaining top engineering talent for organizations of all sizes,” says Kenneth Ziegler, CEO of Logicworks. “For most of our customers, Logicworks’ integrated tooling and automation platforms, combined with our team of highly tenured engineers, create the continuity of cloud care that companies depend on to focus on their core competencies and achieve their desired business outcomes.”
Other notable findings include:
Prioritizing tools over strategy: 61% of IT leaders plan to invest in better cloud tools, while only 39% plan on getting more stakeholder buy-in. This reveals that while IT leaders believe senior leadership doesn’t understand the cloud, most are not prioritizing alignment.
Hot job market for cloud expertise means turnover is likely to rise: 86% of respondents are contacted more than once a quarter by recruiters. This number increases for younger respondents; half (50%) of respondents under 40 are contacted by recruiters at least once a month.
Wake-up call to senior leadership: More than 4 in 5 (84%) of respondents wish their company’s leadership better understood what IT does, and 39% think their company’s leadership doesn’t grasp how the cloud really works.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 400 ITDMs (director-level and above) at mid (100-499 employees) and large (500+ employees) sized companies, between Jan. 3 and Jan. 13, 2020, using an email invitation and an online survey.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.9 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
