cloud connectivity in the public sector -...

Survey Partners

Survey Report 2017

Cloud Connectivity in the Public Sector

Contents

Foreword 3

The Survey 5

Survey Methodology and Respondents’ Profile 6

Key Findings 7

Appendix 1: Full Survey Questions 12

Appendix 2: Example Participating Organisations 17

Page � of �2 17 Cloud Connectivity in the Public Sector 2017

The survey team at iGov Survey would like to opportunity to thank all of those who were kind enough to take part – and especially to those who found the time to offer additional insight through their extra comments. We would also like to thank our partner, Informatica, for their assistance in compiling the survey questions, scrutinising the responses and analysing the results.

Cloud Connectivity in the Public Sector Survey 2017 © is copyright unless explicitly stated otherwise, all right including those in copyright in the content of this publication are owned by or controlled for these purposes by iGov Survey.

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To contact the iGov Survey team: Email: [email protected] Tel: 0845 094 8567 Address: FAO Sandra Peet, Ingenium IDS Ltd, Pacific House, Pacific Way, Digital Park, Salford Quays, M50 1DR.

Acknowledgements

Foreword by Phil Turton, Informatica Cloud

Cloud Computing may still feel relatively cutting-edge, but it’s been around now for a significant number of years. Salesforce, the unparalleled success story in the world of SaaS (software as a service), was established in the last century and now boasts revenues of over $8bn.

Over that time we’ve seen other multi-billion dollar vendors establish in the fields of ERP (e.g. Netsuite), HR (e.g. Workday and SuccessFactors) and a whole host of new Cloud compute platform providers (Amazon AWS, MS Azure and Google) leading enterprises to adopt a ‘cloud first’ or ‘why not cloud’ policy across their IT architecture. But despite Cloud becoming mainstream, the Public Sector has always lagged behind in this high-growth area. However, times are changing. We’re excited to see the results of this ground-breaking iGov survey, giving us an insight into the changing dynamics happening with regard to ‘Cloud Connectivity in Public Sector’. The survey results show a sector on the move. At Informatica, we often talk about organisations travelling across a continuum between a 100% on-premise architecture and a full Cloud architecture – the middle ground being a ‘hybrid’ environment with pockets of Cloud and on-premise systems connecting together.

There are, as you would expect, very few companies who have made the journey to 100% Cloud – in any industry segment. What we observe in this survey is organisations across the public sector spectrum embracing Cloud – indeed we’re seeing Cloud begin to flourish. Very few of the respondents are starting the journey – most are well on the path and living in a true hybrid world. A hybrid architecture can only work if data is seamlessly transitioning across the environment – users should be completely unaware of the dynamics of the underlying application landscape. In order to make this a reality, organisations are turning away from on-premise integration technologies and ESB-type environments to implement Cloud integration tools, commonly referred to as iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) environments.

These new integration platforms, unlike traditional on-premise integration technologies, are built specifically to connect Cloud environments to other Cloud environments and to on-premise data platforms. In general, they support, out-of-the-box, all the new Cloud-based environments that an organisation would need to connect to – but they are much more than that. What a good iPaaS environment should do is to take the bottle-neck of integration capability away from IT and to allow citizen-integrators to easily connect systems as and when they need to. It should also allow IT to determine who controls their data – it need not flow across the integration vendor’s landscape unless that is acceptable to the procuring party.


As this report demonstrates, the change has happened and there appears to be a vociferous appetite to openly consider Cloud – either as a ‘Cloud First’ or a ‘why not Cloud’ strategy. With this change in architecture, we’re seeing an increasing number of organisations modernising their integration platforms and entering the market for an iPaaS environment capable of underpinning a hybrid strategy that we believe will continue for a number of years to come.

To discuss how I can help you and your colleagues with any of the issues covered in this report, please get in touch with me as per my details below. We can also give you access to a complimentary Informatica Cloud trial and further guidance specifically related to iPaaS should this be of interest to you. I look forward to hearing from you.

Contact

Email: [email protected] Mob: 07785 620440 LinkedIn: philturton


mailto:[email protected]?subject=

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philturton

The Survey

Cloud adoption across the public sector is on the rise. Since 2013, the public sector has been implored to take a ‘Cloud First’ approach to computing and certainly, for the last ten years the benefit of moving from on-premise systems to the Cloud has been continuously on the agenda, with concerns raised around the time taken to complete the journey to the Cloud.

This has been at the fore most recently following the Cloud Industry Forum's call for Ministers not to lose sight of the 'Cloud First' commitment in light of Brexit and fresh spending cuts. This follows the launch of a Special Interest Group, chaired by Peter Middleton, director of supplier Cloudline who have also implored the Cabinet Office to appoint a dedicated representative to ensure Cloud remains a priority.

There is also lots of conversation around potential barriers to Cloud adoption, whether it be security, procurement hold ups or protecting data, the latter of which has not been helped by the recent WannaCry attack or concerns that organisations won’t achieve full compliance in time for GDPR in May 2018.

But is all as it seems? Is Cloud adoption really taking too long? Do the barriers really exist? Can it save money and allow for greater efficiency? Today, we live in a connected world and public sector organisations are encouraged to look at ways to be better connected in terms of service delivery – so therefore, what role does Cloud play in the delivery of services that citizens expect to receive?

That is why our latest research explored how Cloud computing is viewed by organisations across the public sector, the key drivers for organisations already moving or in the process of moving to the Cloud and for those whose journey has not yet started, what are the particular barriers to doing so.

Our survey focused in particular on the following:- • Attitudes to Cloud computing within your organisation • Barriers to embracing Cloud Connectivity • How organisations currently connect, if applicable to Cloud applications and

platforms • Integration of Cloud applications and platforms now and in the future

Following extensive review, we have now collated the resulting outcomes and the following report contains a summary of our key findings.

About Informatica

The world’s number one provider of data management solutions, in the cloud, on-premise or in a hybrid environment, Informatica is relied upon by over 7,000 organisations for data solutions to power their businesses.

For more information and case studies on Informatica, visit: www.informatica.com/gbPage � of �5 17 Cloud Connectivity in the Public Sector 2017

http://www.informatica.com/gb

Survey Methodology and Respondents’ Profile

This survey was conducted by iGov Survey in collaboration with Informatica. The project ran from Thursday 25th May 2017 to Thursday 22nd June 2017.

Survey respondents represented a broad cross-section of roles across the public sector. This included: Chief Information Officer, Director of IT Services, Director of IT Risk Management, Director of Finance, IT and Operations, IT Operations Director, Assistant Director of IT and Business Management, Head of Information and Technology Services, Head of ICT Programmes and Partnerships, Head of IT, Head of ICT Assurance, Head of Resource Based Learning, and Head of Information Systems.

There was no inducement to take part in the survey, and Informatica was not introduced as the survey partner.

The results displayed throughout this report are based on those who fully completed the questionnaire and are displayed as a percentage of this group, unless explicitly stated otherwise.


4%15%

18%

6% 35%

22%CharityEducationHealthcareHousingLocal GovernmentOther

FIGURE 1: Sector Breakdown

Key Findings Less than 5% of organisations surveyed do not deploy anything in the Cloud

This clearly illustrates the overwhelming shift in Cloud adoption in recent times. For example, in 2015, the figure was 22% and if we go back to 2010, at a time when the term ‘Cloud First’ was barely recognised, this figure increased to 62%. 1

A further 27% are Cloud Only or Cloud First whereas, two-fifths of organisations surveyed base their approach on what is the most appropriate solution, whether it be Cloud or an on-premise platform. With regards to the latter, this chimes in well with the sector as a whole taking a more hybrid strategic approach to Cloud, on-premise applications and data sources working together, an area we will revisit later in this report. However, without doubt, Cloud is being embraced and considered by the majority of public sector organisations today when procuring IT solutions and services.

Cloud Industry Forum (2016) ‘UK Cloud Adoption & Trends For 2016’ [Online]. Available at: https://www.cloudindustryforum.org/1

content/uk-cloud-adoption-trends-2016 (Accessed 25 July 2017)Page � of �7 17 Cloud Connectivity in the Public Sector 2017

3%4%

64%

20%

9%We are Cloud-only - we plan to move everything to the Cloud

We are ‘Cloud-First’ - all new requirements are deployed in the Cloud where appropriate

We choose the most appropriate solution, whether that be Cloud or an on-premise platform

We do not deploy anything in the Cloud

Other - please specify

FIGURE 2: Which of the following best describes your organisation's attitude towards Cloud computing?

https://www.cloudindustryforum.org/content/uk-cloud-adoption-trends-2016

Seven out of ten organisations say Cloud is a core part of their architecture

A further fifth stated their plans align loosely to their core architecture. Of the 8% who answered ‘Other’, there were some concerns raised around perceived costs and security concerns but on the whole, organisations view Cloud as a crucial component within their overall ICT infrastructure. This is interesting when we consider a 2015 survey from iGov, which found that more than half of organisations surveyed had no plans to take a Cloud First approach when implementing core computing infrastructure or virtual desktop infrastructure.


4%8%

67%

21%

Our plans align loosely to our core architectureWe consider them a core part of our architectureOther - please specifyDon't know

FIGURE 3: In your opinion, which of the following best describes how your plans for Cloud fit into your overall enterprise architecture?

Despite the significant growth in Cloud adoption, just 6% of respondents have an iPaaS

This is surprising given that cloud applications and data sources need to form a coherent architecture. Though the public sector is deploying Cloud, it is clearly a little behind the curve when considering how to connect those new environments to current data sources.

This is potentially having an impact on data connectivity, which is more evident by the fact that 28% have no integration at all so cloud applications are largely standalone. However, the future is promising given that over 50% of participants are considering an integration strategy for Cloud today. Just 15% have no current plans to consider this.

49% of participants also revealed their plans to implement an integration platform as a service in the next two years with two-fifths of participants expecting to have over five Cloud applications in place by the end of this period. And, to date, three-fifths of organisations surveyed have deployed a minimum of three Cloud applications/platforms.


0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

We have a Cloud integration platform (iPaaS)

Point-to-point integration is provided by our application/platform vendor

It forms an extension of an existing on-premise integration tool’s installation

We use hand-coding

We have no integration - the Cloud environment is standalone


Don’t know

FIGURE 4: Which of the following best describes how you currently connect to the new Cloud applications and platforms? Please tick all that apply.

24%

17%

10%20%

29%1 to 33 to 55 to 1010+Don't know

FIGURE 5: How many Cloud applications do you believe you will need to integrate in the next two years?

Just 8% of participants were not concerned about the transfer of data but the majority are cautious about staying in control of their data

In fact, 44% of participants believe it’s extremely important to ensure data does not flow outside of their control with a further 47% stating its importance is dependent upon the type of data.


1%

47%44%

8%

No importance - data can flow through an integration platform

Extremely important - data must not flow outside of our control

Can be important - dependent upon the type of data


FIGURE 6: What importance do you place upon residency in your Cloud connectivity plans?

87% of organisations have deployed Cloud in 2017 and the percentage of deployment is expected to increase significantly by 2020

In fact, when we consider this more closely, the statistic for those deploying less than 20% in the Cloud is expected to decrease by a staggering 56% between now and 2020. In fact, just under 10% expect to be 100% in the Cloud by 2020. And, when describing their plans for the future, just 4% of organisations have no plans for Cloud in the future, which illustrates how far along in their Cloud journey most organisations are in 2017.


0%

1 to 20%

21 to 50%

50% or above

100%

Don't know

0% 15% 30% 45% 60%

2017 2020

FIGURE 7: Approximately, what percentage of your enterprise architecture is; Cloud in 2017, or will be Cloud in 2020?

Appendix 1: Full Survey Questions


Grid Question: In your opinion, which of the following do you view as the biggest barriers to embracing Cloud connectivity? Please rank each from 1 to 5, where 1 is a significant barrier and 5 is not a barrier.

Data protection and compliance with legislation, including new GDPR

Answer Percent

1 21%

2 19%

3 32%

4 14%

5 14%

Availability of Cloud applications/platforms

Answer Percent

Strongly agree 6%

Agree 28%

Neutral 24%

Disagree 21%

Strongly disagree 21%

Question: Which of the following best describes your organisation’s attitude towards Cloud computing?

Answer Percent

We are Cloud-only - we plan to move everything to the Cloud 9%

We are ‘Cloud First’ - all new requirements are deployed in the Cloud where appropriate 20%

We choose the most appropriate solution, whether that be Cloud or an on-premise platform 64%

We do not deploy anything in the Cloud 4%

Other - please specify 3%

Question: In your opinion, which of the following best describes how your plans for Cloud fit into your overall enterprise architecture?

Answer Percent

Our plans align loosely to our core architecture 21%

We consider them a core part of our architecture 67%


Don't know 4%


Reliability of Cloud applications/platforms

Answer Percent

1 5%

2 23%

3 27%

4 24%

5 21%

Visibility and control over applications/platforms

Answer Percent

1 8%

2 21%

3 30%

4 29%

5 12%

Overall platform or application performance

Answer Percent

1 3%

2 17%

3 32%

4 35%

5 13%

Device-based security

Answer Percent

1 11%

2 20%

3 39%

4 23%

5 7%

Skills and expertise of staff

Answer Percent

1 14%

2 26%

3 32%

4 21%

5 7%


Cost implications

Answer Percent

1 26%

2 24%

3 24%

4 17%

5 9%

Question: Of the following, which do you consider to be key drivers in moving to the Cloud? Please tick all that apply.

Answer Percent

Reducing costs 53%

Updating end of life infrastructure 56%

Moving away from legacy systems 52%

Reducing the need for on-site maintenance 65%

The ability to scale up and down, as required 65%

Facilitating greater collaboration and team-working 56%


Question: Which of the following best describes how you currently connect to the new Cloud applications and platforms? Please tick all that apply.

Answer Percent

We have a Cloud integration platforms (iPaaS) 8%

Point-to-point integration is provided by our application/platform vendor 33%

It forms an extension of an existing on-premise integration tool’s installation 24%

We use hand-coding 8%

We have no integration - the Cloud environment is standalone 36%


Don't know 12%

Question: Has your organisation considered or do you plan to consider your integration strategy for Cloud application?

Answer Percent

We are considering this 53%

We plan to consider this 24%

We have no plans to consider this 15%

Don't know 8%


Question: In your opinion, does your current integration architecture cater for hybrid (part on-premise, part Cloud), or 100% Cloud deployment?

Answer Percent

Hybrid 85%

100% Cloud deployment 3%

Don't know 12%

Question: Does your organisation have plans to consider implementing a Cloud integration platform in the future?

Answer Percent

We don't believe a Cloud integration tool will be required 22%

We plan to look at this within 6 months 12%

We plan to consider this in the next 6-12 months 20%

We plan to consider it in the next 12-24 months 17%

Don't know 29%

Question: How many Cloud applications do you believe you will need to integrate in the next two years?

Answer Percent

1 to 3 29%

3 to 5 20%

5 to 10 10%

10+ 17%

Don't know 24%

Question: What importance do you place upon residency in your Cloud connectivity plans?

Answer Percent

No importance - data can flow through an integration platform 8%

Extremely important - data must not flow outside of our control 44%

Can be important - dependent upon the type of data 47%



Question: Roughly, how many Cloud applications/platforms has your organisation deployed to date?

Answer Percent

0 8%

1 to 2 23%

3 to 5 46%

6 to 10 15%

10+ 4%

Don't know 4%

Grid Question: Approximately, what percentage of your enterprise architecture is; Cloud in 2017, or will be Cloud in 2020?

Cloud in 2017

Answer Percent

0% 4%

1 to 20% 59%

21 to 50% 20%

50% or above 9%

100% 0%

Don’t know 8%

Cloud in 2020

Answer Percent

0% 1%

1 to 20% 6%

21 to 50% 29%

50% or above 44%

100% 9%

Don't know 11%

Question: Which of the following best describes your plans for Cloud in the future?

Answer Percent

Central to our enterprise architecture 67%

In our peripheral applications or platforms only 23%

We have no plans for Cloud 4%


Appendix 2: Example Participating Organisations


CHARITIES

Action Medical ResearchBrain and Spine FoundationChildren 1stChildren's Food TrustCRAC: The Career Development OrganisationDisasters Emergency CommitteeEnglish National BalletFairtrade Foundation

Juvenile Diabetes Research FoundationLocalityLondon Grid for Learning TrustMacMillan Cancer SupportRoyal College of General PractitionersThe Richmond FellowshipWellcome Trust

EDUCATION

Blackpool and the Fylde CollegeBrunel University LondonCardiff Metropolitan UniversityColeg y CymoeddCollege Development NetworkDerwentside CollegeDurham UniversityFashion Retail AcademyGuildhall School of Music and DramaHackney Community CollegeHartlepool College of Further EducationLeicester College

Manchester Metropolitan UniversityNewman UniversityPlymouth UniversitySt Dominic's Sixth Form CollegeThe Royal Central School of Speech and DramaThe University of BuckinghamUniversity of OxfordUniversity of UlsterUniversity of YorkWest Lothian CollegeWigan and Leigh CollegeXaverian College

HEALTHCARE

Barts Health NHS TrustBridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Herefordshire CCGPublic Health Wales

HOUSING

Adullam Homes Housing AssociationAster GroupAxiom Housing AssociationBield Housing AssociationCottsway Housing Association LtdDCH Group

Eildon Housing AssociationGenesis Housing AssociationMelin HomesThirteen GroupWakefield and District HousingYorkshire Housing

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aberdeenshire CouncilColchester Borough CouncilCraven District CouncilDerbyshire County CouncilEast Ayrshire Council

Leicester City CouncilLeicestershire County CouncilLiverpool City CouncilStaffordshire County CouncilWandsworth Council

OTHER

Bedfordshire Police and Crime CommissionerBritish Parking Association

WRAP

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