Majority of organizations now have a multi-cloud strategy

Investments in cloud computing continue to grow at a strong pace, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

That growth is reflected in the fact that a large majority of organizations now describe their current strategy as multi-cloud, with performance and innovation rising above cost savings as the top measures of success.

Those findings are among many included in the report from Forrester Research sponsored by Dell’s Virtustream cloud provider. The study is based on a global, online survey of 727 cloud technology decision makers at organizations with more than 1,000 employees, conducted between April and July.

The study found that 86 percent of organizations now have a multi-cloud strategy, and 60 percent of organizations are now moving or have already moved critical applications to the public cloud.

According to the study, nearly three quarters of those organizations surveyed plan to re-evaluate their cloud strategy within the next two years, or create a new one.

Researchers note that cloud strategies must aim to create greater alignment between cloud technologies and key business goals. When asked about their organization’s business objectives for cloud this year, 42 percent of respondents cited operational efficiency as their top priority, followed closely by innovation and revenue growth, respectively.

Those surveyed show a diverse set of use cases for multi-cloud platforms, and think a multi-cloud approach yield benefits such as improved IT infrastructure management and flexibility (33 percent), better IT cost management overall (33 percent), and improved security and compliance (30 percent).