EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Cloud computing as a new computing paradigm has been around more than a decade, However, things have changed since compute as a utility has been introduced.

In this research, we attempt to relook into the nature of cloud computing demand today through a comprehensive survey of cloud adoption in the Middle East where we hope to define better cloud solutions and initiate a collaborative manner to secure this future-ready digital infrastructure.

Below are the key takeaways from our survey:

1. Sovereign cloud is trending due to rapid deglobalisation and new barriers of entry as a result of geopolitical tensions. These have motivated the need to be self-sufficient and for data to be kept within geographical boundaries of nation states. It provides local industry support and safeguards the growth and development of fledgling local (cloud) companies in order to nurture more tech unicorns and evolve the region into a global digital hub. Sovereign cloud benefits development to deliver long term self-sufficiency of the local ICT ecosystem and applications in search of a new killer mega app.

2. Hybrid cloud is featured prominently, driven by rapid digital transformation needs. Increased maturity in cloud usage allows flexibility of choice of on-premise, off-premise, public or private cloud options based on the data, its classification and usage patterns – thereby reducing costs, minimising risk and better assimilation to support the demands of digital transformation.

3. Cybersecurity is the key concern when choosing a cloud provider. From another perspective, organisations on the cloud are experiencing regular and accelerated cyber attacks as we pivot towards the case that cyberspace is cloud computing and cybersecurity is cloud security, paving the way for a new era of the Metaverse.

4. Cloud computing adoption driven by a cloud-first strategy is gaining traction fast in the Middle East, with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia leading the way. These nations are also the most matured entities when it comes to leveraging the cloud to meet digital transformation demands.

5. The study discovered a direct relationship between cloud adoption rate and the availability of cloud security professionals, where organisations are finding it hard to find talent to fill their open positions. This indicates that capacity building in the area of cloud security is extremely challenging today and should be tackled by creating local pipelines of talent to arrest this in the long run.