Retailers: Hybrid cloud infrastructure is ‘ideal’ scenario

Retailers need flexibility in their omnichannel operations — something that is best supported by a hybrid cloud infrastructure.

Retailers recognize that a seamless customer experience is no longer a “nice-to-have” — it’s mission-critical. To ensure they can deliver a seamless experience that will attract and retain customers, a vast majority of retailers (87.5%) identified hybrid cloud as the ideal IT operating model to achieve this goal, according to the Enterprise Cloud Index, a study from Nutanix. 

The report also revealed that 72% are planning to move some public cloud applications back on-premises. One reason is retailers need more agility. With 54.3% of retailers ranking the ability to accelerate IT deployments as the top factor in deciding the best cloud environment for each application, a hybrid configuration could enable companies to maximize the flexibility of their IT infrastructure — and to keep up their pace.

Meanwhile, 63.6% of companies said security has significant influence on their future cloud deployments, with hybrid cloud specifically identified as the most secure (32%). As data privacy regulations continue to tighten and expand, retailers are at the forefront of looking for ways to efficiently manage customer data securely. Hybrid cloud operating models offer the security and flexibility retailers need to stay ahead of policy changes, the study reported.

The public cloud will also help retailers to run digital and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Retailers also tend to run their business applications more often in the public cloud than other industries. There is currently about 11% penetration of multiple public clouds, and about 19% penetration of a single public cloud, according to the report.

“Staying relevant to today’s customers means having the necessary cloud infrastructure in place to embrace omnichannel retail experiences,” said Greg Smith, VP of product marketing, Nutanix. 

“Retailers use data to connect the e-commerce and in-store shopping experiences, and the only way they can do this accurately and efficiently is through flexible, scalable technology,” he added. “The rise of selling on social media platforms also means integrating payment into the user experience, bringing security and protection of customers’ data to the forefront of retailers’ minds. Hybrid cloud provides the portability and control needed to bring retailers into the new era of customer experience.”