Bitkom: Everyone wants the German cloud
The cloud is playing an increasingly important role in the IT infrastructure of German companies, as a Bitkom survey shows. Domestic data centers are preferred.
(Image: iX)
German companies are increasingly turning to the cloud, according to a representative survey by the digital association Bitkom. According to the survey, 81 percent of companies use clouds for their processes, 14 percent are planning to do so and only 5 percent are not considering it at all. At the same time, companies wanted to use the cloud even more intensively in the future. "The cloud will dominate corporate IT in the future," Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst is certain.
This year, 54% of the companies surveyed wanted to invest in cloud services. A third were planning to spend more than in the previous year, 21% less and 42% the same. As many as 77% were planning cloud investments for the future. A lack of qualified personnel (76%), concerns about unauthorized access to sensitive data (64%) and a lack of time (63%) were cited as key obstacles to cloud projects. According to Bitkom, 603 companies with 20 or more employees in Germany were surveyed.
Reducing costs is the most important reason
Companies have different motives for moving to the cloud (multiple answers possible). The most important goal (62%) was to reduce costs. 61% wanted to digitalize their internal processes in this way, while the switch to platforms and software as a service was a priority for just as many. Other goals for cloud use are higher IT security (57%), a reduction in CO₂ emissions (56%) and the development of platforms for cooperation with third parties (50%). For 44%, the cloud is also a way out of the hardware shortage for operating their own servers.
Email and applications for HR management, accounting and financial planning were the top applications used in the cloud, with around 67% each. 66% used the cloud as storage space for files (66%), 64% used it for office software and 58% have databases in the cloud. Only 17% already used AI applications from the cloud.
AI from the cloud is expensive and risky
Bitkom expects the value of AI applications in particular to double. The companies surveyed were primarily interested in predictions and forecasts (87%) and data analysis (81%) from AI. Two thirds (67%) wanted to use AI-based security solutions and fraud detection. Half were interested in analyzing and generating content for texts and 46% for voice and audio.
Despite the high level of interest, AI applications from the cloud are currently still too expensive for many companies (75%). They are also considered a security risk (64%) or incompatible with data protection (62%). 59 percent could not currently use them due to a lack of expertise within the company. Only 28% described the pricing of AI service providers as transparent.
Cloud too, cloud first and cloud whatever
When asked how exactly companies use clouds, the strategy of most (39%) is "cloud too". Existing IT applications are therefore supplemented by cloud services. 26% at least put the emphasis on cloud. Only 14% followed the strategy of running all applications and systems in the cloud. 18 percent had no clear strategy.
38 percent of companies rely on multi-cloud, i.e. services from different providers. In particular, the avoidance of outages and better distribution of resources at full capacity speak in favor of this. 25 percent used hybrid cloud infrastructures.
Germany good, but what is sovereign?
The concept of the sovereign cloud, which is particularly relevant in highly regulated areas, is clearly not something that many of the companies surveyed can relate to. 41 percent were unfamiliar with sovereign cloud offerings, 21 percent had heard of it but could not explain it. 31 percent stated that they knew at least something about it. Only four percent considered themselves knowledgeable. "Providers of sovereign cloud offerings still have a lot of educational work to do," said Bitkom President Wintergerst.
When selecting a cloud provider, factors such as trust in IT security, data protection and compliance (99%), the performance and stability of the offering (97%) and the possibility of data encryption (93%) dominated. Aspects such as the use of open source software (46%) or compliance with Gaia-X (30%) were less relevant.
When it comes to the location of cloud data centers, the preference of companies is clear: Germany. 99 percent would prefer domestic data centers, followed by locations in the rest of the EU with 60 percent. More than half (53%) stated that data centers in the USA were not an option for them. Bringing up the rear in terms of acceptance are China and Russia. Overall, it is important for 98% of companies where the cloud provider's data centers are located.
(axk)
