Research Report Abstract: Online File Sharing and Collaboration: Deployment Model Trends By Terri McClure, Senior Analyst and Bill Lundell, Senior Research Analyst With Jennifer Gahm, Senior Project Manager February 2014
Introduction Research Objectives Research Report: Online File Sharing and Collaboration: Deployment Model Trends ESG surveyed 334 North American IT professionals representing small (fewer than 100 employees), midmarket (100 to 999 employees), and enterprise-class (1,000 employees or more) organizations to find out about their organizations usage of, interest in, and opinions regarding online file sharing and collaboration services and deployment model preferences. All respondents were personally responsible for evaluating, purchasing, or managing information technologies needed to store, access, and share company documents and files for their organizations. ESG s objective was to learn how and where organizations are storing, sharing, and collaborating on their files today, and what their plans are for online file sharing and collaboration technologies over the next few years. ESG investigated the evolution of corporate online file sharing and collaboration (OFS) usage, the reasons organizations currently use or plan to adopt (or do not plan to adopt) various deployment models, and the features and criteria customers look for during the purchasing process. ESG defines OFS solutions as: Solutions that help customers share, access, and collaborate on documents or files stored in a public, private, or hybrid cloud over the Internet. Files can be accessed by and (typically) synced across multiple endpoint devices (i.e., desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.). Furthermore, ESG recognizes four types of OFS deployment models available today, and defines them as follows (see Table 1): Public cloud Model in which both the application control plane and an organization s file data resides in the cloud (in a service provider s data center). 1 Hybrid cloud Model in which the application control plane resides in the cloud while some or all file data remains on-premises. This model allows organizations to use existing on-premises infrastructure investments, but puts the onus of application delivery on the service provider. Cloud gateway Model in which the application control plane remains on-premises while some or all file data resides in the cloud at the service provider s data center (i.e., similar to a cloud gateway model). This option gives organizations the flexibility of storing and accessing data from multiple locations, while keeping administrative control in the company data center. On-premises solution These deployments typically follow an enterprise software model, in which both the application control plane and the data reside within the organization s data center. This model gives businesses the most control over their data since everything sits behind the firewall and enables them to leverage existing hardware investments, while also giving end-users a cloud-like file sharing and access experience. 1 ESG defines control plane as the application s software itself, which provides a central administration and control interface for administrators to configure, manage, and monitor the overall file sharing environment, as well as for end-users to conduct individual account and file sharing administration and configuration.
Table 1. Types of OFS Deployment Models Available Today Deployment Model Location of Application Control Plane Location of File Data Public Cloud Service provider data center, delivered via SaaS Data resides in the service provider s data center (i.e., cloud-based) Hybrid Cloud Service provider data center, delivered via SaaS Some or all data can reside on-premises, option to have some data in the cloud in service provider s data center Cloud Gateway On-premises Data resides in the service provider s data center (i.e., cloud-based) On-premises Solution On-premises On-premises The survey was designed to answer the following questions: What technologies are organizations using to store and collaborate on shared files today? How pervasive has online file sharing and collaboration usage become within organizations? How familiar are organizations with various deployment models? What types of deployment models are most utilized today? What types of deployment models do organizations plan to use in the future? For what purposes have organizations implemented or plan to implement various OFS deployment models? What attributes are most important in evaluating an OFS service provider? What specific features and functionality are viewed as must-haves by current and prospective customers? Survey participants represented a wide range of industries including manufacturing, financial services, communications and media, health care, retail, government, and business services. For more details, please see the Research Methodology and Respondent Demographics sections of this report.
Research Methodology To gather data for this report, ESG conducted a comprehensive online survey of IT professionals from private- and public-sector organizations in North America (United States and Canada) between November 4, 2013 and November 14, 2013. To qualify for this survey, respondents were required to be responsible for the operation, management, and protection of file storage and collaboration platforms such as shared file servers, NAS systems, or Microsoft SharePoint. Respondents were responsible for providing employees with the information technologies they need to store, access, and share company documents and other files and making or influencing document/file storage and sharing technology products and services purchasing decisions. All respondent organizations were currently using a corporate OFS service or planned to deploy a corporate OFS solution within the next 24 months. All respondents were provided an incentive to complete the survey in the form of cash awards and/or cash equivalents. After filtering out unqualified respondents, removing duplicate responses, and screening the remaining completed responses (on a number of criteria) for data integrity, we were left with a final total sample of 334 IT professionals. Please see the Respondent Demographics section of this report for more information on these respondents. Note: Totals in figures and tables throughout this report may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
Respondent Demographics The data presented in this report is based on a survey of 334 qualified respondents. Figures 16-20 detail the demographics of the respondent base, including individual respondents roles in purchasing decisions and current job responsibilities, as well as the respondent organizations total number of employees, primary industry, and annual revenue. Respondents by Document/File Storage Purchasing Responsibility Respondents purchasing responsibilities for file sharing and collaboration solutions are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Survey Respondents, by Role in Organization s Purchasing Process Please describe your role in your organization s purchasing process for document/file storage and sharing technology products and services. (Percent of respondents, N=334) I influence purchasing decisions, 16% Respondents by Current Responsibility Respondents current job responsibilities are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Survey Respondents, by Current Job Responsibility I make purchasing decisions, 84% Which of the following best describes your current role within your organization? (Percent of respondents, N=334) IT staff (e.g., storage administrator, systems administrator, etc.), 4% IT management (e.g., IT director, IT manager, etc.), 51% Senior IT management (e.g., CIO, VP of IT, etc.), 46%
Respondents by Number of Employees The number of employees in respondents organizations is shown in Figure 3. Figure 3. Survey Respondents, by Number of Employees How many total employees does your organization have worldwide? (Percent of respondents, N=334) 10,000 to 19,999, 5% 20,000 or more, 7% 5,000 to 9,999, 10% 20 to 49, 3% 50 to 99, 6% 100 to 249, 8% 250 to 499, 11% 2,500 to 4,999, 14% Respondents by Industry 1,000 to 2,499, 19% 500 to 999, 16% Respondents were asked to identify their organization s primary industry. In total, ESG received completed, qualified responses from individuals in 19 distinct vertical industries, plus an Other category. Respondents were then grouped into the broader categories shown in Figure 4. Figure 4. Survey Respondents, by Industry What is your organization's primary industry? (Percent of respondents, N=334) Other, 25% Manufacturing, 21% Retail/Wholesale, 4% Government (Federal/National, State/Province/Local), 5% Communications & Media, 7% Health Care, 9% Financial (banking, securities, insurance), 16% Business services (accounting, consulting, legal, etc.), 13%
Respondents by Annual Revenue Respondent organizations annual revenue is shown in Figure 5. Figure 5. Survey Respondents, by Annual Revenue What is your organization's total annual revenue ($US)? (Percent of respondents, N=334) 20% 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 3% Less than $5 11% $5 to $24.999 7% $25 to $49.999 12% $50 to $99.999 13% $100 to $249.999 10% $250 to $499.999 18% $500 to $999.999 9% $1 billion to $4.999 billion 10% $5 billion to $9.999 billion 6% $10 billion or greater 1% Not applicable (e.g., public sector, nonprofit)
Contents List of Figures... 3 List of Tables... 3 Executive Summary... 4 Report Conclusions... 4 Introduction... 5 Research Objectives... 5 Research Findings... 7 OFS Market Overview... 7 OFS Deployment Model Trends... 12 OFS Purchasing Considerations... 17 Conclusion... 21 Research Implications for OFS Providers... 21 Research Implications for IT Professionals... 21 Research Methodology... 23 Respondent Demographics... 24 Respondents by Document/File Storage Purchasing Responsibility... 24 Respondents by Current Responsibility... 24 Respondents by Number of Employees... 25 Respondents by Industry... 25 Respondents by Annual Revenue... 26
List of Figures Figure 1. Traditional Technologies Used for Collaboration and Sharing Files... 7 Figure 2. Usage of or Plans for Corporate-sanctioned OFS Accounts... 8 Figure 3. Impact of OFS Services on Traditional File Sharing/Collaboration Technologies... 8 Figure 4. Objectives for Deploying Corporate OFS Accounts, Current vs. Potential Users... 10 Figure 5. Challenges (Current Users) and Concerns (Potential Users) with Corporate OFS Accounts... 11 Figure 6. OFS Deployment Models Used, Current Users... 12 Figure 7. Interest in OFS Services Providing the Ability to Store Data in Organization s Own Data Center... 13 Figure 8. Familiarity of Planned Users with OFS Deployment Models... 14 Figure 9. Likely OFS Deployment Models for Potential Users... 14 Figure 10. Driving Factors for Interest in Storing Data On-premises, Current versus Potential Users... 15 Figure 11. Types of Data Prohibited from Cloud Service Providers, Current versus Potential Users... 16 Figure 12. Individuals/Groups Responsible for Driving Usage of/interest in OFS... 17 Figure 13. Most Important OFS Features/Functions... 18 Figure 14. Most Important OFS Vendor Selection Criteria... 19 Figure 15. Preferred OFS Licensing Model... 20 Figure 16. Survey Respondents, by Role in Organization s Purchasing Process... 24 Figure 17. Survey Respondents, by Current Job Responsibility... 24 Figure 18. Survey Respondents, by Number of Employees... 25 Figure 19. Survey Respondents, by Industry... 25 Figure 20. Survey Respondents, by Annual Revenue... 26 List of Tables Table 1. Types of OFS Deployment Models Available Today... 6 All trademark names are property of their respective companies. Information contained in this publication has been obtained by sources The Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) considers to be reliable but is not warranted by ESG. This publication may contain opinions of ESG, which are subject to change from time to time. This publication is copyrighted by The Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc. Any reproduction or redistribution of this publication, in whole or in part, whether in hard-copy format, electronically, or otherwise to persons not authorized to receive it, without the express consent of The Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc., is in violation of U.S. copyright law and will be subject to an action for civil damages and, if applicable, criminal prosecution. Should you have any questions, please contact ESG Client Relations at 508.482.0188.
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