The world of enterprise is still on the cautious side when it comes to new technologies, according to a survey conducted at the recent Oracle Collaborate 2016 conference in Las Vegas.
Analyst Joe McKendrick wrote in ZDNet that while almost all businesses at the event knew about big data, cloud, IoT, and mobile and its advantages, most of them were proceeding with caution, if at all.
See Also: Internet of Things rollout requires software assist
Forty percent of the 690 members use Salesforce.com’s cloud services, but only 20 percent of members move their enterprise resource planning (ERP) or core suites outside the premises. The main worries, amongst the members, are security, loss of control, integration of data, and migration issues.
That shows a commitment to testing the cloud services, but a lack of interest in large migration. McKendrick points out that instead of going all-in on the cloud, 25 percent of members “intend to acquire at least some of their ERP functionality through subscription-based cloud services.”
Numbers on cloud database usage is even more fickle. Nineteen percent use a subscription-based cloud service and 22 percent are considering it — the rest are uninterested in the area. Internet of Things has even less interest, with six percent of members currently using an IoT system.
Revenues show some enterprise buyers are definitely out there
What does this mean for the industry? Well, little and less. Amazon announced $10 billion in cloud sales this year and every month we hear of more devices connected to an IoT system. The fact that businesses are cautious of new technology is as shocking as businesses that are focused on making money.
One area members were positive is in mobile, with most members agreeing that mobile adoption in the workplace is a good thing. 57 percent of members want to see more employee access to analytics, alerts, and dashboards, and 54 percent want more communication and collaboration on mobile.
Mobiles at work has been a policy in some companies for over a decade, but the adoption of apps like Slack, Facebook at Work, and Trello is just starting to become prevalent in the industry. We expect adoption for these tools, just like IoT and cloud, to grow in the next few years, regardless of business skepticism.
