Want a Happier, More Productive IT Team? Adopt Cloud Services

Use of cloud services is making IT administrators happier and more productive at work, in turn making it easier for organizations to hire strong candidates, according to a report released Wednesday by BetterCloud and 451 Research.

The report, The Impact of Cloud Applications on the Role of IT, paints a rosy picture of the benefits that cloud offers organizations and their IT staff, who through the use of cloud are able to focus more of their time on innovation and expanding their cloud knowledge.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said most or all of their IT workloads and processes are delivered via cloud services, and the findings seem to suggest that organizations that jump in the cloud with both feet are reaping the rewards promised by cloud services.

451 Research surveyed U.S. IT decision-makers or influencers from both midsized and large enterprises with job titles ranging from manager to C-level executive.  All 269 of the surveyed organizations use cloud office solutions, with 71 percent using Microsoft as their primary vendor and 29 percent using Google as primary vendor. Sixty-four percent of respondents said most or all of their IT workloads and processes are delivered via cloud services.

Cloud Allows IT to Focus on New Skills

The majority of respondents have been able to reduce IT staff efforts on existing or routine work, improve levels or service and reliability, improve user experience and functionality, free up time for innovation, and lastly, save money.

“In general, these results point to cloud applications as powerful agents for increasing the connection between IT and the business – turning IT from a barrier to change into a partner in change. At the same time, this closer connection has the potential to create a better work experience for IT staff, especially when combined with the reduction of mundane tasks and the increased focus on innovation,” BetterCloud said in the report.

To this end, IT professionals whose organizations have adopted cloud services have been able to sharpen their knowledge around cloud services.

Cloud-based Office Solutions Hit the Mark with IT

With all of the survey respondents using cloud-based office solutions, BetterCloud was able to get a sense of how well these solutions fit the needs of IT. Ninety-five percent of respondents said that their usage of Office 365 and Google Apps fit the needs of their workforce well or very well. Survey respondents using Google reported higher suitability than those using Microsoft, 44 percent versus 39 percent, respectively.

“Google suitability may be higher due to its offerings being cloud-native – without having to adapt software from on-premises legacy tools, Google may well have created a fresher and more user-friendly experience than Microsoft, which had to transition tools and conventions from a non-cloud world,” the report says.

A recent report by SkyKick found that larger businesses are more likely to use Office 365 than Google Apps. On mobile, Google Apps is killing Office 365 with nearly 100 million more active monthly users in March.