Western Europe split between progressives and conservatives, finds new Claranet research

Posted: Tue, 12/04/2016 - 09:01

A game of two halves in Europe as France, Spain and Benelux lead the charge on innovative IT management and practices

Claranet’s latest research report – Innovation in European IT – has revealed a split in Western Europe between countries and the ways in which they manage their IT, with IT leaders reporting clear disparities in their use of cloud, DevOps and application update frequency. While France, Spain and the Benelux are leading the charge on these progressive IT practices, the UK, Germany and Portugal appear to be lagging behind and more resistant to change.

Formally launched at Cloud Expo Europe, the research, which surveyed 900 IT decision-makers from the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the Benelux, from a range of mid-market organisations, examines the ways in which businesses manage and host their applications.

Key findings from the research include:

  • 72 per cent of applications in Benelux and 64 per cent in France are hosted in the cloud, compared to only around half in the UK, Germany and Portugal (50 per cent, 55 per cent and 47 per cent respectively)
  • The DevOps adoption rates in the UK (26 per cent), Germany (28 per cent) and Portugal (28 per cent) trail those reported in Benelux and France (44 per cent and 38 per cent respectively)
  • Just 34 per cent of Portuguese and 40 per cent of UK applications are updated every week, significantly lower than in Benelux (61 per cent) and Spain (56 per cent)

Charles Nasser, Founder and Chief Executive Officer for Claranet, commented:

Businesses need to constantly transform themselves and innovate to stay relevant, or risk being overtaken by new, more disruptive businesses. While European businesses are increasingly adopting innovative practices, with greater levels of public cloud and DevOps adoption being reported than a year ago, it is clear that some countries are further along in their transformations than others.

The research points to a clear divide across Europe between France, Spain and Benelux, who are fast embracing innovative IT management practices, and the UK, Germany and Portugal, who appear to be lagging behind. This may owe to practical considerations, such as regulatory or budgetary restrictions, which are tying the hands of IT leaders, or cultural ones. Are these countries more risk averse than their European neighbours and therefore less willing or able to innovate?”

He concluded:

Regardless of the causes, organisations from the UK, Germany and Portugal should look to mirror the star performers of Europe and find ways to incorporate innovative IT practices if they are to succeed on a national and, indeed, international stage. The role of IT services providers in guiding that transition is critical, either by providing innovative services themselves, or playing a supporting role, leaving businesses more time to innovate. The IT departments bringing the most value to their organisations are now a lot less tied to the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes and more to growing business profitability than they once were."

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