European Firms Lag in Multi-Cloud Management: Report

A new report from Infoblox Inc., a cloud networking and security services company, reveals that European organizations are behind their global counterparts in multi-cloud management maturity. The study, conducted by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and titled “The State of Hybrid, Multi-cloud Management Maturity in Europe,” highlights how European businesses trail in adopting and managing hybrid, multi-cloud environments, impacting their operational efficiency and competitiveness.

Based on insights from 1,000 networking and security professionals globally—about a third of them from European companies—the report shows that organizations with more advanced multi-cloud strategies benefit significantly. Key advantages include reduced cloud costs, faster time to market, enhanced customer and employee satisfaction, and improved security resilience. Leading companies in multi-cloud management report a 50% reduction in cloud costs compared to nascent organizations, with 76% of leaders being first movers in their markets. Additionally, leaders see 2.9 times higher employee satisfaction and 2.3 times higher customer satisfaction related to cloud-hosted workloads.

Despite these benefits, the report reveals that European companies are more likely to rank in the least mature cohort of multi-cloud management compared to global counterparts (55% vs 44%). However, some European businesses are closing the gap, with 11% identified as leaders, close to the global average of 12%. The study emphasizes the importance of European organizations investing in platform teams, converging cloud networking and security tools, and using network core services to enhance asset management and security.

Frank Ruge, Senior Vice President for Europe, Middle East & Africa at Infoblox, stated that European companies have significant potential to improve their multi-cloud management maturity. He noted that while the gap is substantial, it is not insurmountable. By prioritizing investments in cloud strategies and security, European businesses can accelerate their time to market, exceed customer and employee expectations, and improve overall workload performance.

The report also points out that European organizations are less likely to leverage DNS for cloud asset discovery and visibility compared to other regions. This is a critical area for improvement, as DNS plays a crucial role in helping both network and security teams identify active devices and services across cloud and on-premise environments.

Infoblox’s study underscores the urgency for European businesses to catch up in the race toward cloud maturity to stay competitive in the global market. Those that achieve multi-cloud management maturity are poised to see significant gains in cost efficiency, service delivery speed, and operational resilience.