The vast majority (88%) of retailers identified hybrid cloud as the ideal IT operating model and 72% are planning to move some public cloud applications back on-premises, according to Nutanix.
The company’s Enterprise Cloud Index Report 2019 finds retailers recognising that flexible cloud infrastructure is critical to delivering seamless customer experience.
Also, in line with broader IT industry trends, many retailers also recognise the full, long-term costs of the public cloud.
The report also finds that retailers focus most on agility, ranking the ability to accelerate IT deployments (54%) as the top factor in deciding the best cloud environment for each application.
Security is top of mind for retailers, with nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) saying this has significant influence on their future cloud deployments, with hybrid cloud specifically identified as the most secure (32%).
Further, retail leads in digital apps and IoT cloud deployments. There is about 11% current penetration of multiple public clouds and about 19% penetration of a single public cloud.
“Staying relevant to today’s customers means having the necessary cloud infrastructure in place to embrace omnichannel retail experiences,” said Greg Smith, VP of product marketing at Nutanix.
“Retailers use data to connect the e-commerce and in-store shopping experiences, and the only way they can do this accurately and efficiently is through flexible, scalable technology,” Smith said.
He added that the rise of selling on social media platforms also means integrating payment into the user experience, bringing security and protection of customers’ data to the forefront of retailers’ minds.
“Hybrid cloud provides the portability and control needed to bring retailers into the new era of customer experience,” he said.
