F5 Networks has announced its EMEA Future of Multi-Cloud (FOMC) report which highlights game-changing trends and charting adaptive best practice over the next five years. It also features exclusive qualitative interview input from influential EMEA, global and Middle East-focused cloud experts specialising in entrepreneurialism, cloud architecture, business strategy, industry analysis, and relevant technological consultancy. The F5 commissioned report was conducted by the Foresight Factory, which drew on its proprietary bank of over 100 trends and original research across 25 regional markets.
“The Future of Multi-Cloud report is a unique vision for how organisations can successfully navigate an increasingly intricate, cloud-centric world. The stakes are higher than ever, and businesses that ignore the power of the multi-cloud today will significantly struggle in the next five years. While the GCC is encouragingly receptive to what is now an imminent technological shift, it is crucial that we better understand the resulting opportunities and pitfalls moving ahead,” said Tabrez Surve, Regional Director, Gulf & Turkey, F5 Networks.
According to the figures cited in the study, 81% of global enterprises claim to have a multi-cloud strategy in place. The FOMC report further states that upfront costs will become less important as cloud vendors continue to demonstrate compelling use cases. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will be fundamental to driving higher levels of automation and render existing obstructions to multi-cloud obsolete.
The FOMC report also reveals how available workforces are still trailing technological developments and business requirements. Siloing of existing knowledge or lack of collaboration within businesses may further exacerbate multi-cloud apprehension and unfamiliarity.
Today’s attack surfaces are expanding at a staggering pace, with both cybercriminals and their tools becoming increasingly sophisticated and destructive. Concurrently, the spread of multi-cloud architectures, if inadequately managed, is resulting in application sprawls and soaring security complexity.
Against this backdrop, the FOMC report emphasises the importance of being able to quickly develop and deploy scalable applications and services on any platform, anywhere and at any time. Implementing a robust, future-proofed ecosystem of integrated security and cloud solutions helps build end-to-end IT services that give key stakeholders greater context, control, and visibility into the threat landscape.
The findings of this report also revealed that Middle Eastern and African businesses tend to have different multi-cloud configurations than most Western markets, and having a global standard for data protection is vital within the next five years.
