by Angela Guess
Michael Singer recently raised the question, “What’s on the mind of chief information officers these days? More than likely, it’s talk about cloud computing. Cloud computing has become a major focus area in enterprises as executives are looking for less expensive ways to access data and applications. A new executive survey of CIOs by IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) found 60 percent eager to jump into cloud-related systems and services in the next five years.”
Singer continues, “Although cloud computing may have started out as a way for companies to pool their resources internally, cloud infrastructure and services are now common tools and platforms for enterprises to share data and services with their partners and customers. IBM talked to 3,000 CIOs for its 2011 report. The last survey the company conducted in 2009 found only one third of executives were willing to jump into the cloud. IBM’s sample size this year is significant enough to take to heart what these CIOs are saying.”
He goes on, “But it’s not just cloud that is capturing the hearts and minds of CIOs. Executives are also looking for answers using mobile, analytics and business intelligence, and risk management systems. These tools are sought because CIOs are being asked to translate the massive amounts of structured and unstructured data inside and outside their enterprises (sometimes called ‘big data’) into digestible information. How these executives adopt cloud and other technologies to share data and services depends on the type of business, to some extent. For example, interest in cloud computing is on the rise among media and entertainment companies, which rose to 73 percent, automotive manufacturing (70 percent), and telecommunications providers (69 percent), according to IBM’s report. This might be attributed to the rise in interest in data management, customer analytics, data warehousing, and visual information dashboards that support marketing and short-term sales initiatives.”
