According to a study by IBM, 64 per cent of hybrid cloud users in India have a formal, organisation-wide policy and/or approach for the use of generative AI (GenAI). However, barriers that once slowed down hybrid cloud adoption are now impeding the implementation of GenAI. Cloud leaders are concerned about the challenges associated with the privacy and confidentiality of data and information when adopting GenAI. In addition to the ability to unlock the power of generative AI being cited as one of the key benefits of a hybrid cloud approach, leaders agreed that a cloud environment is essential for managing sustainability initiatives at an enterprise level, but workforce deficiencies in cloud skills are impacting implementation.
The survey shows that in India, on average 68 per cent of the business leaders surveyed agreed that lack of cloud skills remains a considerable challenge in their digital transformation journeys, which is higher than the global average of 58 per cent – ranking second to only Japan (75 per cent). However, the strong intent of Indian businesses to overcome this obstacle to innovation is becoming evident – about 85 per cent of the surveyed organisations said they have created new positions to fulfil the need for cloud skills. Indian organisations are leading the efforts to close the skills gap, followed by those surveyed in the US (80 per cent), UK (77 per cent), Germany (72 per cent), Spain (72 per cent) and Australia (70 per cent).
As per the study, as businesses ramp up digital transformation efforts in a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape and strive to remain compliant with cybersecurity laws, they are also concerned about the exposure of sensitive data. In India, about 36 per cent of cloud leaders expressed concern about cybersecurity or the privacy and confidentiality of data and information when adopting GenAI. In fact, 60 per cent of cloud leaders cite security and compliance as reasons for moving certain workloads from public clouds to private clouds or on-premises data centres, which represents an increase of 18 per cent from the previous year.
The report states that as the adoption of GenAI grows, the data processing power required for AI workloads can present new challenges to organisations that are looking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Using the right tools for tracking, managing and reporting on sustainable goals, including for partners and third parties, has never been more important. In fact, 43 per cent of decision-makers surveyed in India agreed that they use cloud to help deploy, track, and manage sustainability goals internally, while 44 per cent say they use cloud to help deploy, track, and manage sustainability goals for third parties.
According to IBM, organisations surveyed recognise the role that strong technology partnerships play in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. About 92 per cent of the organisations surveyed in India, agree that open innovation with business partners is the biggest driver for sustainability initiatives, with India ranking the highest of all countries surveyed alongside Brazil.
Commenting on the findings, Viswanath Ramaswamy, vice president, technology, IBM India and South Asia, said, “As GenAI gains momentum in India, organisations need to harness the power of a robust hybrid cloud approach to tackle challenges that are coming to the forefront. Investing in the right cloud technologies and tools will help businesses tackle increasing security and compliance concerns and deliver on their sustainability goals. As evidenced by the report, hybrid cloud models aided by the right talent capabilities will play a huge role in shaping the success of business transformation initiatives. It is heartening to see that about 85 per cent of respondents have said they are creating new job positions to fulfil the need for cloud skills in this GenAI era.”
