Hybrid IT services are crucial for digital transformation, CenturyLink study finds

The Hybrid IT Readiness Report shows that 75 per cent of organizations already outsource managed services as business growth remains a priority

SINGAPORE, Oct. 26, 2016 /CNW/ -- A new report from CenturyLink, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) reveals that hybrid IT is the pervasive IT infrastructure model for organizations in Asia Pacific, including Japan (APJ), as a vast majority are taking transformative steps to match workloads to their best execution venue across a blend of in-house and third-party services.

According to the CenturyLink Asia Pacific Hybrid IT Readiness Report 2016, 73 per cent of organizations are aware of the hybrid IT deployment model, and 75 per cent of them already outsource at least one or more data center, network, security or applications services to third-party managed service providers. In addition, 84 per cent of organizations cite security as the key driver to consider managed service providers. 

The report also found that service delivery improvements involving data centers (63 per cent) and network (52 per cent) are key drivers for executives to outsource IT services. Today's increasingly complex IT environments demand heightened expertise and management capabilities to ensure continual improvements in service delivery to customers.

"Digital disruption is changing the way we approach business today globally. In particular, IT departments are experiencing tremendous change as organizations turn IT into a driving force for all aspects of the business, including the customer experience," said Gery Messer, managing director, Asia Pacific, CenturyLink. "As more organizations turn to a blend of in-house and third-party IT services, it is important for leaders to address concerns on security. They need to carefully assess their technology partners to ensure that security capabilities are well embedded in all of their offerings – managed hosting, managed services, network solutions, colocation and cloud. Only then will they be able to help IT transform into a secure hub for innovation."

A hybrid IT model requires strategic alignment between internal and external IT professionals to match business applications to their best execution venue. This approach to rapidly provision IT services while enabling risk mitigation is appealing to security-conscious executives. Other concerns in transitioning to the hybrid IT model include senior management reluctance for 44 per cent of organizations and migration or consolidation issues for 38 per cent of organizations.

"As industries continue to transform, paradigm shift is inevitable," said Ajay Sunder, Vice President - Telecoms, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific. "The transformation journey from traditional IT to hybrid IT becomes the new normal for enterprises across Asia Pacific. This is a result of organizational priorities as they keep up with business growth momentum. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. As technology diversifies at a rapid pace, IT leaders should focus on what will work best for the organization. They will require technology partners that can provide services that will give them greater visibility and control while enabling them to transform their business in this digital economy."

The CenturyLink Asia Pacific Hybrid IT Readiness Report 2016 surveyed 600 decision-makers across six key APAC markets in September 2016. The full report can be downloaded from http://bit.ly/2emgROk.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a global communications, hosting, cloud and IT services company enabling millions of customers to transform their businesses and their lives through innovative technology solutions. CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, Big Data analytics and IT consulting, and operates more than 55 data centers in North America, Europe and Asia. The company provides broadband, voice, video, data and managed services over a robust 250,000-route-mile U.S. fiber network and a 300,000-route-mile international transport network. Visit CenturyLink for more information.

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SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc.

Frank Tutalo, 703.363.8698, [email protected], http://www.centurylink.com