IT leaders everywhere are coming to the realization that hybrid cloud is a great way to optimize their IT infrastructure without disrupting business-critical applications.
However, there are major challenges ahead, mostly around cloud-based identity and access management (IAM). This is according to a new report from Google Cloud and identity management company ForgeRock.
Based on a poll of 300 IT executives globally, the two companies found that, while cloud adoption overall is increasing, investment and interest in hybrid cloud is “particularly high”.
Still, siloed data environments and blind spots in cloud and IAM strategies are emerging as major challenges for the cybersecurity posture of hybrid cloud infrastructure.
For two-thirds of businesses, process issues are hindering the adoption of IAM solutions, while 88 percent said technology issues are making IAM adoption in the cloud a pain. Finally, almost half (48 percent) said the lack of cloud IAM expertise and the lack of leadership support for cloud-based IAM adoption is slowing their progress down.
“While IT leaders are faced with unique criteria and conditions that shape their IT strategy, hybrid IAM has emerged as a necessity in helping them deliver simple and secure employee and customer experiences,” said Peter Barker, CPO at ForgeRock.
“The future isn’t just cloud, it’s hybrid cloud,” added Hamidou Dia, VP, Global Head of Solutions Engineering at Google Cloud. “This approach gives companies the ability to reimagine their business and modernize faster, and IAM needs to be at the center to ensure the future is both frictionless and secure.”