A RightScale 2019 State of Cloud report found that around 91 per cent of businesses globally reported using a public cloud service, 72 per cent said they would opt for a private cloud solution, and 69 per cent selected a hybrid solution.
"In addition to strengthening its competitive advantage, cloud technology is becoming increasingly important to a company's business model," he said.
"However, although the adoption of cloud solution technologies by businesses may be increasing, many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are still ill-prepared to make the switch to digitisation," he added.
Around 77 per cent of SMEs in Malaysia, according to estimates from consulting firms, are still in the early stages of digitalisation.
Its adoption is dependent on the company's ability to overcome a number of challenges. Here are some of the key obstacles to cloud adoption in Malaysia.
EXISTING DATA CENTRE INVESTMENTS
Existing data centre investments can be a double-edged sword in cloud adoption.
"On one hand, having invested heavily in a data centre, many companies may be unable to justify the cost of relocating their data centre infrastructure, given that it will be an additional cost, and thus be hesitant to relocate. On the other hand, many new market entrants, for example, smaller companies, may not be able to acquire sufficient capital to acquire a data centre themselves and may need to accept the cloud model as their only alternative," said Ravi.
TALENT CRUNCH
One of the most pressing challenges to cloud adoption is the lack of competent cloud engineers, knowledgeable cloud lawmakers, and service consumers.
"According to reports, 20 per cent of Malaysian users are unaware of cloud computing. Therefore, Malaysia needs to move quickly on the development of a variety of technical programmes and hands-on workshops for technical employees, decision-makers, and lawmakers, as well as cloud-awareness programmes for public users," said Ravi.
MYTHS ABOUT CLOUD
Many companies in Malaysia still require physical access to their hardware in order to trust that their data is secure.
"This is untrue since, compared with cloud settings, many on-premises environments have very lax security measures. Due to the on-premises world's smaller footprint, there aren't as many reports of businesses being hacked," said Ravi.
"I believe that some businesses are still hesitant to commit to the cloud despite its promise because the market doesn't fully understand its full potential. Although I believe the cloud is still at an early stage of adoption in Malaysia, there is an excitement and enthusiasm to move to the cloud across all verticals, which means that there is a huge growth potential in Malaysia," he added.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/bots/2023/02/877248/tech-growing-excitement-cloud-solutions