Majority of the C-level executives and business leaders in the GCC and Egypt overwhelmingly agree on cloud computing’s positive and transformative impact, according to new findings released today.

Commissioned by security and cloud experts F5 Networks, and conducted by research agency Think Positive, the study is one of the most in-depth of its kind to involve board-level decision-makers.

The results are the most up-to-date gauge on current regional attitudes to the cloud, drawing on the views of 250 C-level executives and business owners from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Egypt.

“Cloud computing has significant potential to radically alter how businesses and organisations run in the GCC,” remarked Diego Arrabal, VP – Middle East, Turkey & Africa, F5 Networks.

"This new study shows that, while the region still has plenty of room to ramp up cloud deployment projects, the overall recognition of the technology’s possibilities is at an all-time high. Decision-makers in the region see the cloud as a business priority. Firms that continually innovate and build a sustainable cloud strategy will increasingly stand out from their competitors, meet intensifying compliance targets, and be better able to substantively contribute to major government-backed transformation projects,” he noted.

Although the GCC is relatively early in its multi-cloud embrace compared to mature markets, such as the USA and parts of EMEA, there is widespread and enthusiastic receptivity for the technology’s potential.

Almost all GCC businesses (99 per cent) believe the cloud can have a positive impact on market share and help to displace competitors.

Around 90 per cent pointed out that it can improve brand perception, and 89 per cent praised its capacity to improve innovation.

A clear consensus was also reached on the cloud’s potential to enhance the overall customer experience (90 per cent).

Similarly, 96 per cent of decision-makers were keen to highlight the cloud’s likely starring role in driving major government-led transformation initiatives. 97 per cent believed that the cloud would be integral to the ongoing rollout of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and 91 per cent believed the same for the UAE’s Vision 2021.

Most respondents also flagged the importance of local regulations as a constructive cloud conduit, with 68 per cent stating they had a favourable influence. Kuwait was the most positive in this respect (78 per cent) followed by the UAE (77 per cent), and Saudi Arabia (64 per cent).

Cloud computing’s most commonly cited benefits included greater business efficiency (64 per cent of surveyed businesses), followed by cost savings (52 per cent), operational flexibility (48 per cent) and time-to-market (46 per cent). As many as 35 per cent estimate that cloud migration unlocks business growth of between 25-50 per cent. 25 per cent predict it drives 51-75 per cent growth, and 18 per cent went as far as 76-99 per cent.

The most critical apps currently used in the cloud were related to operations (57 per cent), services (47 per cent), marketing (43 per cent), business (40 per cent) and HR (28 per cent). By 2025, 39 per cent of GCC businesses said 25-50 per cent of apps would be in the cloud; 23 per cent said the total would be between 51-75 per cent; and 20 per cent as much as 76-99 per cent.

Almost half of respondents currently use one cloud provider (45 per cent) but, as awareness and enthusiasm levels rise, multi-cloud realities are fast entering the picture, said the study.

Nearly 20 per cent currently use 2-6 providers and 3 per cent use 7-10. Google is the most commonly used vendor (43 per cent), followed by Microsoft (25 per cent). 23 per cent of respondents use other global providers but were not specific, it added.

Majority of the respondents believed that the biggest cloud concern for GCC businesses was data security (78 per cent). Saudi Arabia is particularly wary (92 per cent), closely tailed by Bahrain (83 per cent), and the UAE (80 per cent), said the study.

Other major concerns include consistency of policy (44 per cent) and data integrity (31 per cent). Finding the right staff to manage the technology is also a burning issue, with 83 per cent of decision-makers citing it as a key challenge. The countries with the biggest perceived skill-gap are Saudi Arabia (89 per cent), and Oman (89 per cent), it added.

Think Positive’s findings align with F5’s recent State of Application Delivery (SOAD) report, which reported that applying consistent security policies for applications is the “most challenging or frustrating” aspect of managing multi-cloud environments (42 per cent of F5’s surveyed EMEA customers), said a senior official.

"The GCC is ideally placed to reap the benefits of the cloud in all its incarnations. Governments have ambitious, world-class plans in place to change the way people live and work, and there is a huge base of tech-savvy youngsters about to enter the workforce," stated Tabrez Surve, MEA Security Head, F5 Networks.

"As the findings show, there is also a strong appetite among key decision-makers to use the cloud as a conduit to move fast and innovate," he added.-TradeArabia News Service