47% of tech companies will use the cloud to aid expansions

The Equinix survey saw 2,900 global IT decision-makers interviewed, between March 1 - 29, 2022.  

The Equinix 2022 Global Tech Trends Survey demonstrated that, in the fallout from the global COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation remains at the forefront of expansion strategies. The majority of companies, across the world, are deploying cloud migration, XaaS models, 5G and telecommunications technologies. 

What were the key findings of the Equinix digital expansion report? 

• 72% of respondents say their organisation is planning to expand in the next year
• 31% say their companies plan to expand into a new city, 33% a new country, and 38% a new region entirely
• IT leaders in APAC and in the Americas were the most optimistic about their annual growth plans, with 82% and 78% of respondents stating their intent to expand across geographies
• 59% said their business was plagued by global supply chain issues and shortages
• 58% specified the global microchip shortage as a threat to their business
• 67% are measuring and actively trying to limit the environmental impact of their IT equipment
• 65% will only work with IT partners who can meet key carbon reduction targets
• 69% name sustainability as one of their organisation’s most important drivers 

The global investment in digital infrastructure, and the cloud’s role in these expansion plans

Almost half (47%) of the global respondents said they plan to facilitate global expansion plans by deploying the cloud. 

Furthermore, 47% also said that they expect increased spending on carrier-neutral colocation solutions, in order to facilitate this planned digital transformation. Plus, 59% stated their intent to increase their investment in interconnection services.

71% of respondents plan to move more business functions to the cloud. And, of those respondents, 50% plan to move more of their business-critical applications to the cloud. 

Hybrid cloud models were identified as the preferred approach of 38% of respondents, but 22% still rely on a single cloud provider, or none at all. 

Futureproofing businesses is another key priority as, for example, 71% of respondents stated that they will be moving to an everything as a service (XaaS) model, a change which is primarily being driven by the simplification of IT infrastructure, improved user experience and flexibility.

“It remains an exciting time in the rapidly evolving tech sector, as all regions reported growth and increased investment and planning around new technologies from 5G to Web 3.0, the IoT and XaaS. Equinix remains committed to support our digital partners in their evolutionary journeys through the utilisation of the multiple problem-solving platforms we offer”, commented Russell Poole, the UK Managing Director for Equinix.