Data management company NetApp’s research has found that despite the cost of Flash technology decreasing, it is perceived by 40 per cent of senior decision makers as being too expensive to invest in. Despite this, 90 per cent admitted there was a need for Flash within their businesses. IT decision makers revealed that one in four financial decision makers (24.3 per cent) within enterprises do not have sufficient understanding of the benefits of Flash technology to make an investment.
The survey of 1002 IT decision makers across the UK, reveals that the cost barrier is prevalent among 38 per cent of smaller and bigger businesses – but is more common among medium sized businesses (40 per cent).[1] The cost barrier is most pronounced among IT decision makers in arts and culture (72.2 per cent), HR (55 per cent), and sales, media and marketing (52.8 per cent) organisations, who perceive cost as the biggest barrier to Flash.
However, 90 per cent of the respondents suggested that there currently is a need for Flash technology within their businesses. This figure was consistent across vertical sectors, with the strongest support for Flash coming from architecture and HR (100 per cent) decision makers, as well as healthcare (95 per cent). In addition, almost one in five IT decision makers (19 per cent) cited that there are no factors that would prevent them from investing in Flash.
After cost, the second biggest barrier to Flash adoption in the UK is financial decision makers’ lack of awareness, according to almost a quarter of survey participants (24.3 per cent). Awareness of Flash from those responsible for buying decisions is a more significant barrier to almost a quarter of bigger (23.4 per cent) and medium sized businesses (24.7 per cent). Meanwhile, the issue of a lack of awareness among financial decision makers is most apparent in the legal (36.4 per cent), healthcare (35 per cent) and HR (30 per cent) sectors.
Laurence James, NEMEA Products, Alliances and Solutions Manager at NetApp says, “Historically, the capital cost has been a barrier to investments in Flash, but it is clear that the operating cost benefits, improved reliability and availability make Flash a compelling proposition. As Flash technology has developed it has become increasingly powerful while physically decreasing in size. We’ve gone from packing the same amount of capacity in 14 feet of rack space into just 14 inches, while scaling up performance and scaling down costs.”
“Our research shows that while the business value of Flash in terms of performance and responsiveness is understood by IT decision makers, education on the true value of Flash needs to continue further up the chain. Flash is a long-term investment that can transform business performance and should not be analysed in terms of capital investment alone.”
