Look Ma, No Hardware! 1

Look Ma, No Hardware! How cloud-based IT apps are making life easier for IT pros.

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 3

Fre e I T re p o r t s o n to d ay ’s h o t te s t te c h to p i c s a n d t re n d s.

Sponsored by:

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 WHO’S ON BOARD?

02 JUST HOW MUCH CLOUD ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE?

03 WHAT’S THE BIG WHOOP?

04 BUT, BUT, BUT?

05 HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?

06 WHAT’S THE TAKEAWAY?

07 DETAILS ON THE DATA

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IT pros are finding that cloud-based apps can maketheir jobs easier, and they’re getting on the cloud bandwagon right along with their users.

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INTRODUCTION

In past Voice of IT reports, we’ve taken a peek at usage and trends around cloud-based applications like hosted email, file sharing, productivity tools and other online apps that end users just love. But the cloud isn’t just for end users! IT pros are finding that cloud-based IT apps can make their jobs a whole lot easier, and they’re getting on the cloud bandwagon right along with their users.

In this report, we’re shining the spot-light on three specific areas where IT pros are making the most of cloud-based apps: online backup, security and web hosting. What our research shows is that IT pros have similar reasons for choosing cloud-based tools – namely, that it frees them from the burden of babysitting hardware and software night and day.

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01WHO’S ON BOARD?

So let’s look at the big three – online backup, security and web hosting – and find out who’s on board. Survey says…

For backup, 30% of IT pros who responded to our survey state they’re already using an online backup solution, and another 13% are headed that way within the next six months.

In terms of security, 41% are using cloud-based anti-spam, and many other cloud-based security tools are gaining in popularity. But the big winner? Drum roll… web hosting – one of the oldest and most popular cloud-based services available. 70% are using a web hosting vendor as opposed to hosting it them-selves, and another 3% are planning to.

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ADOPTION OF CLOUD-BASED IT APPS

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02JUST HOW MUCH CLOUD ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HERE? Online backup, security and web hosting

are making quite the impact in today’s SMBs.

Our research shows that a third of IT pros

are backing up 1 TB or more of data to the

cloud. Close to three-fourths of them are

backing up 100 GB or more.

That’s a lot of data moving through the

tubes! To look at it another way, more than

70% of respondents are backing up at least

half of their company’s total data to the cloud.

Look Ma, No Hardware! 9

AMOUNT OF DATA IT PROS BACK UP (OR PLAN TO BACK UP) ONLINE

% OF DATA IT PROS BACK UP (OR PLAN TO BACK UP) ONLINE

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In the security category, data on total TBs

is harder to come by, but we do know that IT

pros are all over the map, using cloud-based

tools to handle all manner of IT security tasks.

Anti-spam is the most popular cloud-based

security service followed by content filtering

and anti-virus.

These services may be the low-hanging

fruit when it comes to security, but IT pros are

starting to dip their toe into more advanced

cloud-based security services including mobile

policy management, patch management, Active

Directory management and single sign-on.

Anti-spam is the most popular cloud-based security service followed by content filtering and anti-virus.

USAGE OF CLOUD-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR SECURITY

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FREQUENCY OF REVIEWING WEB HOSTING VENDORS SATISFACTION WITH CURRENT WEB HOSTING VENDOR

As for web hosting, it looks like most

IT pros who are already in the cloud aren’t

going anywhere anytime soon. Even though

70% of respondents say they evaluate their

web hosting vendor every year, more than

70% of them said they’re either very satisfied

or extremely satisfied with their current web

hosting vendor. Somebody’s definitely doing

something right!

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03WHAT’S THEBIG WHOOP?

So, why are IT pros taking these critical

services and putting them in this no man’s land

known as the cloud? Well, that depends on which

service you’re talking about. When it comes to

online backup, 84% of respondents said they

use it because it provides the best protection

against local disasters.

While other offsite options such as tape

backup could conceivably be used to achieve

the same thing (especially if all you want to do

is archive your data), you’re not really protecting

your data until you have redundant backups

located far beyond your zip code. For these IT

pros, online backup delivers exactly that.

But what about security and web hosting?

IT pros are very clear on what appeals to them.

They use cloud-based security and web hosting

applications for two main reasons: It frees them

from the burden of maintaining hardware and

software, and it simplifies management of the

services. IT pros also see cost benefits associat-

ed with using a web hosting vendor compared

to going the DIY route.

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BENEFITS OF USING AN ONLINE BACKUP SOLUTION

BENEFITS OF USING A CLOUD-BASED SECURITY SOLUTION

BENEFITS OF USING A WEB HOSTING VENDOR

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04BUT, BUT, BUT?

That’s not to say that cloud-based IT apps are

universally loved and trusted. IT pros who haven’t

converted to the cloud have concerns aplenty

about these services. For example, with online

backup, they mostly worry about heavy band-

width requirements and about data security.

But what’s interesting is that those types of

concerns don’t seem to be stopping the rest of

our respondents. Our survey showed that the vast

majority of online backup users – 90% – use it to

back up data that’s essential to daily operations or

that’s highly confidential.

CONCERNS WITH USING A HOSTED BACKUP SOLUTION

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TYPES OF DATA IT PROS BACK UP (OR PLAN TO BACK UP) ONLINE

For security and web hosting, IT pros who haven’t

made the trip to the cloud are worrying about two

main things: lack of control over infrastructure com-

ponents and lack of control over service delivery. It’s

an IT pro’s job to be a little bit of a control freak – to

make sure everything is running like clockwork so IT

is invisible to the business.

That’s why putting critical services in someone

else’s hands – or cloud – is often hard for them to

do, especially since they’re still the ones who are

on the hook if something goes wrong. The benefits

have to clearly outweigh the risks.

CONCERNS WITH USING A CLOUD-BASED SECURITY SOLUTION CONCERNS WITH USING A WEB HOSTING VENDOR

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05HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?

When it comes to choosing a vendor for

these services, the IT pros we surveyed all

shared a similar mindset. The #1 consideration

for all three of our categories was cost. It’s not

just a sign of the times – it’s a hallmark of the

SMB market. There’s just no extra money to

waste when a cheaper solution is available.

And in the case of online backup, security and

web hosting, there are literally hundreds of

solutions (and price brackets) to choose from.

After cost, reliability and security topped

the list of vendor considerations, which again

just goes to show the issues IT pros face when

they relinquish control over these services. They

want to feel as certain as possible that the ven-

dor they choose is not going to drop the ball on

a critical service that the business is counting

on them to deliver.

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CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING AN ONLINE BACKUP VENDOR

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING A CLOUD-BASED SECURITY SOLUTION

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN CHOOSING A WEB HOSTING VENDOR

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06WHAT’S THE TAKEAWAY?

As misunderstood and as buzzwordy as it

may be, “the cloud” is here to stay. End users are

all over it – with Google Apps, Evernote, Drop-

box and other cloud-based apps just like them.

They can get done what they need to get done

without being tied to a server back at the office.

IT pros are experiencing the same phenome-

non with their own tools of the trade. Why deploy

a server and commit to its round-the-clock care

and feeding when you can do the same thing

from a cloud-based application? With the right

service, the right vendor, and the right price… the

sky really is the limit.

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Drawing from a user base of 2.5 million

IT pros, it’s a glimpse into tech you can’t get

anywhere else! Data in this report comes from

a Spiceworks survey conducted with over 600

IT pros from small and midsize organizations

in North America and Europe.

Details on the data

INDUSTRY (TOP INDUSTRIES SHOWN.) COMPANY SIZE

REGION

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This report was sponsored by EarthLink.

EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) is a leading IT services and communications provider to more than 150,000 businesses and one million consumers nationwide. EarthLink empowers customers with managed services including cloud computing, managed and private cloud, and virtualization services such as managed hosting and cloud workspace. EarthLink also offers a robust portfolio of IT security, application hosting, colocation and IT support services. The company operates an extensive network spanning 29,421 route fiber miles with 90 metro fiber rings and 8 secure data centers providing ubiquitous nationwide data and voice IP service coverage across more than 90 percent of the country. For more information, visit EarthLink’s website at www.earthlinkbusiness.com or to have a brief conversation with an IT services representative, call 1-855-873-1393.

Follow EarthLink in the Spiceworks Community.

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The contents in this report are a result of primary research performed by Spiceworks. Unless otherwise noted, the entire contents distributed as part of this report are copyrighted by Spiceworks. As such any information made available by any means in this report may not be copied, reproduced, duplicated, published, displayed, transmitted, distributed, given, sold, traded, resold, marketed, offered for sale, modified to create derivative works or otherwise exploited for valuable consideration without prior written consent by Spiceworks. For more information visit www.spiceworks.com/voice-of-it/terms.

This report contains information of fact relating to parties other than Spiceworks. Although the information have been obtained from, and are based on sources that Spiceworks believes to be reliable, Spiceworks does not guarantee the accuracy, and any such information might be incomplete or condensed. Any estimates included in this report constitute Spiceworks’ judgment as of the date of compilation, and are subject to change without notice. This report is for information purposes only. All responsibility for any interpretations or actions based on the information or commentary contained within this report lie solely with the recipient. All rights reserved. 2013.

About Spiceworks Voice of IT®

The Spiceworks Voice of IT® market Insights program publishes stats, trends and opinions collected from small and medium business technology professionals that are among the more than 2.5 million users of Spiceworks. Survey panelists opt-in to answer questions on technology trends important to them. To find out more about our research capabilities, email insights@spiceworks.com.

About Spiceworks™

Spiceworks™, is the world’s largest vertical network for IT that connects 2.5 million IT professionals with more than 2,300 technology brands. By combining a community of IT pros with free IT management software, Spiceworks helps businesses discover, buy and manage more than $475 billion in technology products and services each year.

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PHOTO CREDITS

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Jeff G., Systems Administrator, Spiceworks

Kris B., Director of IT, Spiceworks

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Cole Lakes, Support Engineer, Spiceworks