Full channel move to cloud could be ‘years away’
Citrix survey says skills gap is holding cloud back
Cloud computing may be generating a fair amount of hype in the channel, but it seems that a full shift to it is still a number of years away.
A survey of the UK channel by Citrix has shown that virtualisation projects remain of key importance. Desktop virtualisation is viewed as the best sales opportunity by 59 percent of channel partners, while 45 percent see server virtualisation as the best way to make cash.
In the long run though the cloud is expected to take over, with virtualisation in a cloud environment to become more popular.
Many partners see that there is a skills gap in getting cloud services up and running, with 55 percent of respondents highlighting it as a consideration in moving to cloud services. This may be one of the reasons behind the slow take up Citrix says.
There is however expected to be a doubling of cloud services in the next three years once such teething problems are sorted, while virtualisation as part of the cloud will also increase substantially.
The conclusion of the report is that while cloud computing is indeed about to shakeup the industry, it is not expected to have an effect as quickly as is claimed in some quarters.
Citrix’s UK channel director Kevin Bland, reckons that one of the priorities is that those who are more cautious in a move to the cloud are catered for just as well as those keen to make a swift transition.