RALEIGH, N.C. – November 15, 2023 –  RapidScale, the leading managed cloud services platform, released its latest research study, "The Cloud Migration Reality Check," based on a survey of 500 IT decision-makers in North America. This analysis identifies the causes behind cloud project delays, how cloud complexities deliver less than the desired results, and the importance of partnering with cloud migration experts.

The report highlights factors significantly impacting project timelines, talent management, and overall business strategies.

Big picture: strategic planning with an experienced service provider is vitally necessary to achieve the business benefits that the cloud can deliver. 90 percent of IT leaders surveyed rely on service provider assistance for successful cloud migrations.

Other key findings:

• Expectations vs. Reality: While 47 percent of respondents expected improved application performance and operational efficiency, 90 percent underestimated the complexity of cloud migration.
• Cloud Migration Delays: Sixty-eight percent of respondents reported that less than half of their IT environments had been migrated to the cloud, and 35 percent reported stalled cloud initiatives. Top reasons for delays include concerns about data and IT security (43 percent), followed by the increased complexity of the migration process (42 percent).
• Discrepancies in Cloud Performance: The complexity of the migration process is causing 31 percent of applications to underperform. 
• Unexpected Costs: Among the respondents, about 40 percent experienced unexpected costs for supporting both on-prem and cloud operations and cloud sprawl. Over one in three IT decision-makers found that manually working on cloud issues led to unforeseen expenses.
• Talent Tradeoffs and Impacts of Resource Allocation: 97 percent of respondents faced talent tradeoffs, with more than half pulling talent off projects to work on cloud issues and 46 percent delaying or canceling projects due to changes in cloud strategy.
• Reflections and Future Considerations: Almost all respondents preferred working with service providers specializing in application development/modernization, cloud infrastructure design and deployment, and database migration or application refactoring. Fifty-nine percent of respondents favor app modernization partners, and 54 percent opt for cloud infrastructure partners.

"The Cloud Migration Reality Check" report findings underscore the value of strategic partnerships for successful cloud migrations. Complexities of cloud migration are driving organizations to partner with seasoned experts to streamline the migration process, optimize operations, reduce unexpected costs, and provide support to navigate the complexities of cloud transformation. This primary study was conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research.

"RapidScale plays a pivotal role in providing expertise across a spectrum of services, from application modernization to cloud infrastructure design, simplifying IT and unleashing innovation for businesses,” said Duane Barnes, vice president/general manager of RapidScale. "Organizations that leverage expertise and resources offered by proficient partners like RapidScale can mitigate risks and capitalize on the potential that the cloud can deliver."

To access the full Cloud Migration Reality Check report, click here.

About RapidScale
Whether refreshing legacy IT systems or launching an app that will reach millions, RapidScale empowers your business with a complete set of private and public cloud solutions to simplify IT and unleash innovation.

From Infrastructure as a Service to AI, RapidScale brings you the best portfolio of managed services in the industry, backed by a deep bench of certified experts holding over 400 accreditations. RapidScale has helped hundreds of customers migrate to AWS and Azure while helping over 2000 customers drive the complexity and administration out of IT. RapidScale makes technology your biggest competitive advantage. For more information, visit http://www.rapidscale.net.

About Cox Business
The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business, provides a broad commercial solutions portfolio, including advanced managed IT and fiber-based network solutions that support connected environments, unique hospitality experiences and diverse applications for nearly 370,000 businesses nationwide. For more information, please visit www.coxbusiness.com.