Cloud and hybrid technology tops the priority list for businesses
Automation and data analytics are also high on the list of top technologies that are important to IT professionals


Cloud and hybrid IT are one of the top five most important tools in their organisation's technology strategy, according to 95% of IT professionals participating in a survey of more than 800 IT workers conducted by SolarWinds.
Of these, 77% of respondents said that cloud technology topped their list of most important technologies, and was the most useful for digital transformation efforts.
The primary reason for this is that cloud and hybrid IT meet the current needs of businesses, but also serve as the backbone to future trends like machine learning and artificial intelligence. Many of the principles of cloud implementation support scalability for future growth, as well as flexibility to add and take away services as needed.
However, 63% of respondents also said that cloud and hybrid IT were the biggest challenges when it came to implementation and rollout, suggesting that although they understand its value, the day-to-day practicalities are still proving difficult for businesses looking to make the most of cloud technologies.
In second place, seen as one of the most important technologies in use today by 86% of IT professionals, is automation. This also scored highly as a technology with the greatest potential to provide productivity and efficiency benefits, as well as return on investment in the future.
Big data analytics were also rated highly as an important tool for organisations at present, with 79% of IT professionals including it in their top five choices. It was also seen as the number two priority in terms of digital transformation over the next few years.
One challenge regarding the implementation of cloud and data analytics technologies is inadequate infrastructure and a lack of organisational strategy, which the survey highlights as being a common reason why the IT professionals' current systems aren't optimised.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
But as cloud providers are making it increasingly easier to move to the cloud and removing barriers to adoption, it is the business itself which will need to adapt in order to use these technologies with full effect.
Esther is a freelance media analyst, podcaster, and one-third of Media Voices. She has previously worked as a content marketing lead for Dennis Publishing and the Media Briefing. She writes frequently on topics such as subscriptions and tech developments for industry sites such as Digital Content Next and What’s New in Publishing. She is co-founder of the Publisher Podcast Awards and Publisher Podcast Summit; the first conference and awards dedicated to celebrating and elevating publisher podcasts.
-
Helping customers adopt a multi-cloud infrastructure and accelerate their modernization journey
Sponsored Content We outline what shifting to a subscription model means for your business
-
UK firms are 'sleepwalking' into smart building cyber threats
News The convergence of operational technology and IT systems is posing serious risks for property firms.
-
Can robots work safely alongside humans? This one industry leader thinks we're not far away
News Humanoid robots and people will be able to work truly side-by-side this year, according to the CEO of one leading robotics company.
-
IDC MarketScape: Worldwide supply chain Oracle ecosystem services vendor assessment
Whitepaper In-depth assessment of IT consulting providers supporting supply chain management processes
-
The power of AI & automation: Proactive IT
Whitepaper Automation strategies to dynamically and continuously assure cost-effective application performance
-
Magic Quadrant for enterprise conversational AI platforms
Whitepaper An evaluation of the conversational AI platform (chatbot) market
-
Let's rethink customer service
whitepaper Discover new ways to improve your customer service process
-
The power of AI & automation: Productivity and agility
whitepaper To perform at its peak, automation requires incessant data from across the organization and partner ecosystem
-
Digitization solves manufacturing’s five toughest challenges
Whitepaper Discover the technology trends that overcome manufacturing’s challenges, from cyber resilience to breaking free from legacy technology
-
The four pillars of excellence for technology leaders
whitepaper Download this CIOs business case for integration and automation