What to consider during IT modernization

A recent survey of large companies by Dimensional Research and DataStax shows what is currently occupying IT departments: the modernization of the IT infrastructure.

This was stated by all of the 304 IT managers surveyed. A clear result, but not surprising. 99 percent of respondents also reported challenges in modernizing the architecture. What does the one percent do differently?

They place data at the center of their considerations

Data silos, expensive software for database management, concerns about data security or access problems - these are just some of the current problems in handling data that IT departments mentioned in the survey.

But even in the age of 5G and autonomous driving, data can be protected and kept accessible at all times. It is not necessary to replace the entire data center right away, but various options should be examined and a strategic concept developed to begin with.

You remain flexible despite the cloud

For 85% of respondents, the cloud is the method of choice for providing new applications. But there are also problems with it. At the top of the list is the fear of vendor lock-ins, with 95% of IT professionals having concerns about this.

If a company works with a single cloud provider, it can be very difficult and expensive to migrate the entire database to a new provider.

This could become necessary, for example, if the hyperscaler increases prices. However, lock-ins can be easily avoided with the right database. Companies need to make sure that it supports different clouds and offers data autonomy at the same time.

You keep an eye on open source

With regard to operating systems, open source software has long been widely used in large companies. Building applications for productive operation on freely available technology has traditionally been a source of concern.

However, there has been a significant change here in recent years. 82 percent of respondents report that their teams are more open to the topic today than they were five years ago.

Open source is part of the modernization plans of half of the IT professionals surveyed and 32 percent said they would even prefer this technology to commercial technology.

In summary, it can be said that today's technology has great potential for companies. It can deliver new revenue opportunities, smarter cost savings and better insights for business planning.

However, in order to really benefit from this, each company must gather its individual requirements and then weigh up how and where the individual workloads and processes can best be mapped - whether on-premises, in the public, multi- or hybrid cloud.