Survey: Security Concerns Holding Back Data Center Consolidation And Cloud Migration
Strong security measures, including encryption and key management, are prerequisites for businesses to move forward with data center consolidation initiatives.
Security concerns are preventing businesses from unlocking the potential benefits of data center consolidation and cloud services, according to new research from SafeNet, Inc. The research, which is based on a global survey of approximately 600 security and IT executives, found that while nearly three-quarters of IT professionals view data center consolidation as important (75% EMEA; 73% NORAM; 63% APAC), more than half (51%) have no consolidation plans in place (46% EMEA; 49% NORAM; 71% APAC) and only a quarter have completed consolidation projects.
The survey results illustrate that security challenges, with regard to addressing encryption and key management needs, may be contributing factors to the slower progress in consolidation efforts, including moving workloads from physical machines to virtualized systems. Specifically, of those who view data center consolidation as important, 62% said their biggest worry was losing control of cryptographic keys (68% EMEA; 65% NORAM; 59% APAC). This sentiment indicates that strong encryption and secure management of keys are critical prerequisites to data center consolidation and cloud migration.