Digital transformation is easy to say, arguably hard to implement and failures continue to occur even as we learn from our own experiences and those of others. Why is digital transformation difficult? Some argue it is because transformation refers to a change to something that's core to the business. That it is not only about using new technologies and optimizing processes, but it encompasses all aspects of a business from the backend to the front and everything in between.

In this PodChats for FutureCIO, we will look into one aspect that is characteristic of the digital transformation of the last three years – the proliferation of the use of cloud infrastructure and the associated technologies that use it.

To help us understand this better, we are joined by Arron White, GM and VP of Sales APJ for Nutanix. 

Aaron welcome to PodChats for FutureCIO.

The findings of the 5th Annual Enterprise Cloud Index (ECI) reveal a notable increase in the use of mixed infrastructure, which spans private IT infrastructure (both on-premises and hosted), public clouds, and edge locations. The increased diversity is driving IT pros to seek a unified place to manage and secure their applications and data.

1.       How would you compare this year's report to previous years? What stands out?

2.       Most organizations use more than one type of IT infrastructure, and nearly all agree that having a single platform to manage them all would be ideal. Q: Is a single pane of glass to manage it all even possible given the proprietary nature of how cloud is implemented?

3.       Data security and management considerations drive IT infrastructure choices. Q: Given the many choices and options for how organisations can secure and manage the infrastructure and the data, how do you see CIOs and the IT team taming this complexity?

4.       Cloud cost control ranks as a top IT management challenge. How do you contain cloud costs without adding more costs?

5.       The Enterprise Cloud Index noted that 97% of respondents have begun using open-source Kubernetes orchestration. Q: Are we seeing the end of virtual machines? Is this rise in containerisation going to lead to container sprawl? How do you bring back control while supporting business goals?

6.       Sustainability is now an IT priority. Q: Given all the different priorities from simplification, to security, and now sustainability, how do you tie this all together without losing sight of business goals?

7.       What is the overarching message 2023 Annual Enterprise Cloud Index?