This emerges from a worldwide survey conducted by Nutanix , a data center operator in the USA, and the market research company Vason Bourne . 91% of over 2,300 IT decision-makers surveyed in various industries prefer the hybrid cloud environment; however, only 18% actually use the model. The hybrid solutions combine a local or private cloud in the company with the public solution of an external provider. According to the respondents, the key advantage of the hybrid cloud lies in its interoperability (23%) and the migration options (16%) between the different cloud types. Lower costs (6%) and heightened security (5%) were cited less frequently as the primary advantage, but for 71% of those surveyed overall security is an important consideration.

Increasing implementation of cloud technologies is presenting industry with new challenges in view of the increasing networking that comes with it: according to a study carried out this year by the Russian software provider Kaspersky, the IT infrastructure for automation in the energy industry and machine construction is particularly exposed to increasing risk of cyber attacks, which makes it necessary to develop effective strategies to avert the danger.