XO Communications recently commissioned a study from IDC, which found that most enterprises are planning to implement a “multicloud” strategy despite historically being “long-held concerns” about security and performance.

More specifically, the number of enterprises that will connect their corporate networks to two or more cloud service providers will triple within the next two years, it finds.

According to the study, hybrid cloud architectures in which businesses are utilizing both public and private cloud resources are helping IT managers more efficiently support demand for enterprise cloud apps.

“As a market leader in IP and Ethernet networking and cloud connectivity, XO believes in the importance of helping customers stay at the forefront of emerging trends,” said Jake Heinz, senior vice president, marketing and product at XO. “An expected increase in the percentage of enterprises planning to expand the use of a multicloud strategy from 29 to 86 percent over the next two years is a significant trend our customers need to understand.”

“Enterprises that connect to cloud service providers through the public Internet face security and performance concerns inherent with that access option,” continued Heinz. “The secure and reliable XO network-enabled cloud offers companies the ability to connect cost-effectively to a wide variety of cloud services in an environment where they have end-to-end control and visibility.”

When asked to rate importance the cloud attributes, enterprises rated network reliability and availability at 4.41 and secure data transport at 4.31 out of 5. The importance of performance management capabilities is also rated highly when assessing cloud services.

86% of those polled expect to connect to multiple cloud service providers within two years.

The full study can be found in a paper called “Why Are Enterprises Connecting to Multicloud Services?”

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