The original reasons for adopting cloud are no longer the driving factors behind modern Cloud Strategies.

Some of the common drivers were:

• EOL: My enterprise apps and infrastructure are EOL (End of Life)
• Cost: It's cheaper to be in the Cloud and let someone else deal with hardware
• Elasticity: I need my infrastructure to be able to scale with demand

Initially, some saw other advantages such as improving speed of provisioning, access to new technologies and innovations and of course security, which was one of the major reasons for hesitancy in Cloud adoption.

Over just a few years the situation has completely changed. Firstly, Security is a major plus point in Cloud with platform providers delivering security & compliance solutions that are unheard of with legacy infrastructure.

Most Technology Leaders now cite a completely different set of reasons to move to Cloud Technologies. More focus is now on agility & innovation and less about cost and resolving legacy issues.

Cloud is no longer an infrastructure play, companies like Amazon Web Services invest vast sums in research and development, delivering SaaS and PaaS solutions driving technology innovation at a rapid rate.

The compelling reasons to move to the Cloud include:

• Innovation: Access to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and industry specific solutions
• Agility: The cloud vastly reduces time to market in delivering technology based solutions
• Analytics: Cloud data solutions are improving analytics capabilities allowing better data driven decision making
• Competitive advantage: Younger upcoming disruptive companies are changing the landscape, moving to the cloud is one part of levelling the playing field

So the move to the cloud is no longer an IT decision based on cost, but a true business strategy decision. Whether being a market disrupter or closing the gap to new market entrants, Cloud innovation is a key component driving the success of many technology based companies.

You can find out more about what 200+ C-level decision makers think about digital transformation in our Digital Direction report.