Frost & Sullivan: Vertically-focused Solutions to Boost Cloud Computing Uptake in Europe

-- Retail adopts cloud aggressively, while energy and manufacturing take a gradual approach

LONDON, Oct. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- European enterprises are looking to transition from their legacy infrastructure to capitalise on the advantage of cloud computing. Traditionally conservative industries such as energy and manufacturing still choose a gradual approach, while the retail sector is being aggressive with regards to cloud implementation.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.ipcommunications.frost.com), on Cloud in European Vertical Markets, finds that apart from the cost-efficiency and scalability advantages provided by the cloud, there are specific factors driving the growth of cloud computing in the manufacturing, retail and energy sectors.

Cloud computing can play a crucial role in simplifying the management of business and mission-critical applications. For instance, it can help the global manufacturing industry maintain integration among multiple plants to improve production. Similarly, the implementation of cloud platforms can help energy utilities simplify management of data reservoirs and analytics applications to gain deeper insights into energy usage patterns, demand-based load balancing, and grid analytics.

The European retail industry has been fast to understand the advantages of migrating to the cloud. "Market potential is huge due to the willingness of retailers to migrate enterprise applications to the cloud while continuing to operate mission-critical solutions on legacy systems, which is also a common theme observed in most sectors," notedFrost & Sullivan Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Research Analyst Shuba Ramkumar. "As a customer-facing industry, retailers are leveraging mobile and social network applications and data analytics to enhance their understanding of customer behaviour. Running these applications on a cloud platform can provide scalability and promote efficiency."

In terms of restraints, the need to protect customer privacy is the key concern the retail sector has with the cloud. Difficulties in phasing out legacy systems and in-house data centres are also delaying retailers' complete shift to the cloud. Similarly, the presence of legacy systems complicates cloud implementation in the manufacturing sector. Further, unavailability of mature-cloud based manufacturing applications is another important factor causing slow uptake of cloud. Data security concerns and the risk-averse nature of the energy industry curb investments from power utilities as well.

"Developing vertically-focused solutions that address challenges faced by different enterprises can help accelerate cloud computing deployment," opined fellow Frost & Sullivan ICT Research Analyst Ewa Tajer. "Solutions that are in line with vertical market requirements will also drive the emergence of vertically-oriented cloud providers in the European market."

If you are interested in more information on this research, please send an e-mail to Joanna Lewandowska, Corporate Communications, at joanna.lewandowska@frost.com, with your complete contact details.

Cloud in European Vertical Markets (M9D9-63) is part of the Telecom Services Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related research services include: Analysis of the European Infrastructure-as-a-Service Market, Asia-Pacific Web Application Firewall Market, Data Centre Market in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, ICT Spending in Smart Energy in Europe, and ICT Market in European Banking Sector. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.