Alibaba: Businesses set for cloud migration

ALIBABA Group’s digital technology and intelligence unit said 85% of local businesses are planning a full-scale cloud migration in two years.

Allen Guo, country manager for the Philippines of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, made the forecast in a survey entitled “The Next-Generation Cloud Strategy in Asia” that also said more than 91% of local businesses are looking at increasing cloud-related investments starting this year.

Mr. Guo said the survey collected data from cloud-strategy decision-makers in small to large businesses that are using cloud services.

Global market research firm Nielsen was commissioned for the survey, which generated responses from 1,000 organizations. The respondents were from industries such as financial services, gaming, internet and technology, retail, manufacturing, media and telecommunications, and the public sector.

According to the survey, 78% of local businesses’ interest in cloud computing is driven by the rapid growth of the data center market, while 79% were due to the government’s digitalization plan.

The survey also showed that businesses consider security as the top priority in selecting their cloud vendors followed by availability and expertise.

Mr. Guo said the priority was also the same for other Asian countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

However, local businesses surveyed said that insufficient training for employees is among the top barriers to cloud adoption.

“To help address this challenge, Alibaba Cloud has partnered with local IT-focused educational institutions — such as Asia Pacific College — to train and strengthen the cloud computing competencies of teachers and students as part of its efforts to support local digital talent empowerment in the Philippines,” the company said.

Rhea-Luz Valbuena, executive director of the School of Computing and Information Technologies at Asia Pacific College, said the future of cloud computing lies in the hands of the next generation.

“Our recent collaboration with Alibaba Cloud has been instrumental in accelerating our mission to equip students with the essential tools to thrive in the current scenario, especially with the rising demand for cloud computing in local businesses,” she said.— Justine Irish D. Tabile