Managing Complexity in Hybrid IT Environments

This Pathfinder Report addresses the complexities associated with managing hybrid IT environments as enterprises increasingly adopt off-premises solutions such as public cloud, managed hosting, and colocation datacenters. It outlines the growing trend of outsourcing datacenter capacity driven by the need for enhanced IT capabilities, cost efficiency, and access to new technologies. The report highlights findings from 451 Research's Voice of the Enterprise survey, indicating that by 2019, a significant portion of workloads will operate outside traditional on-premises settings. The report also discusses the implications of hybrid IT strategies, including the benefits and challenges of multi-cloud approaches, which can lead to significant cost savings but also introduce management complexities. Additionally, it notes the staffing challenges faced by organizations as they transition to hybrid models, emphasizing the need for specialized skills in managing diverse service provider relationships and the integration of software-defined technologies. The report concludes with recommendations for organizations to navigate these complexities effectively.