Autotask Survey: Cloud Security Is Top Client Concern
Your clients using cloud services are most concerned with security, according to the Autotask’s 2014 “Metrics That Matter: IT Service Provider Benchmarking Survey.” The survey, conducted by Decision Tree Labs, included responses from 1,300 IT service providers in North America, Europe, and around the world. Of those responding to the survey, 54 percent cite security as their clients’ top concern, followed by support for the cloud (52 percent) mobile device management (46 percent), and data management (45 percent).
According to the survey, the biggest driver of IT services is the expansion of cloud services — with survey respondents ranking it above areas including mobile connectivity and establishing “always-on” environments.
“The expansion of the cloud is a golden opportunity for managed service providers,” says Len DiCostanzo, senior VP of community and business development at Autotask. “To capitalize on the cloud’s growth, IT service providers need to focus on expanding their managed services offerings to include cloud services, increasing security, and evolving their business model to be more consultative, where they deliver integrated business solutions and trusted service, not just IT support.”
Other survey findings include:
- 87 percent of IT companies plan to do the same or more hiring this year compared to last year. In the southwestern U.S., 94 percent of companies plan the same or more hiring — the highest rate of any region in the country — and the in East, West, and Midwest – 87 percent plan the same or more hiring this year.
- 34 percent say they most value their technicians’ technical knowledge, followed by how much customers like them (20 percent), and how many hours they bill (18 percent).
- 62 percent of companies say they billed an hourly rate of $100 to $150 — increasing from 51 percent of respondents last year.
The 2014 “Metrics that Matter” eBook is available at http://www.autotask.com/lp/metrics-that-matter-2014, which highlights the findings from the survey, along with an infographic of key survey findings.