New technologies can propel efficiency and business performance to new levels. However, adoption is not always straightforward. New research from Fujitsu shows that organisations with a strategic approach to hybrid cloud adoption are more likely to have achieved accelerated digital transformation.

Today, almost all organisations use some cloud-based business applications and realise the benefits of scalability, adaptability and cost. While a small minority has adopted a “cloud-only” strategy, most gain impact from cloud investment alongside their existing applications and infrastructure – a so-called “hybrid cloud” approach.

Emerging technologies are becoming crucial enablers. Companies can make the most of new opportunities and be vigilant against potential threats with them. The research from Fujitsu shows that investing in a hybrid cloud environment should be their first step toward these opportunities. This will enable organisations to deploy advanced tools such as automation, edge computing and artificial intelligence seamlessly and at scale.

A third of companies speed ahead

The research identifies a small group of companies that have already used their hybrid cloud infrastructures to build resilience and accelerate their business transformation goals. Fujitsu calls these the hybrid cloud leaders, representing a third (33%) of the sample. Leaders are nearly twice as confident they can use their hybrid infrastructure to leverage emerging technologies. They are putting emerging technology at the heart of their hybrid cloud strategies: 75% say their hybrid cloud environment facilitates the use of emerging tech, compared with just 38% of the rest of the surveyed companies — the followers.

The data suggests that some technologies, such as blockchain and edge computing, are straightforward for all companies to implement. But the leaders find it easier than the rest to bring these in — and they excel at implementing technologies across the board. This ease is translating into results. About half (49%) of the leaders say their hybrid cloud approach has enhanced their product and service innovation in the past year, compared with 39% of the followers.

The cloud helps businesses to maximise value

Leaders are twice as confident that they can modernise apps and workloads to optimise performance, twice as likely to build apps once and deploy across environments than the followers, and have 50% greater confidence in the scalability of their infrastructure.

The cloud environment, implemented as part of a cohesive and comprehensive strategy, can increase the scope and impact of new technologies because it allows organisations to customise and scale tools such as AI to existing operations. This means they are more likely to be used by a wider range of teams and generate more value. In the end, whether it’s AI, machine learning, RPA (robotic process automation) or blockchain, the technology has to solve business challenges. For example, a pharmaceuticals company can use AI machine learning to analyze its data and run clinical trials.

It helps companies to innovate

Organisations that use their hybrid cloud environment to deploy emerging technologies more effectively are better set up to innovate. When we spoke with Tom Corridon, vice president of cloud and infrastructure at Bridgestone Americas, he told us a hybrid cloud environment had enabled emerging technology to power critical transformation at his company. “When we get data from our tyres through the internet of things, it eventually goes into an application called Tirematics that is heavy in AI and machine learning,” he said. “That’s where complex proprietary algorithms live, and they make predictions for preventative maintenance based on the kilometres driven and what we know about the tyre and where it is located.”

The hybrid cloud can open the door to significant opportunities and help companies reach their strategic ambitions. Organisations that want to harness the power of emerging technologies should start by investing in their cloud environments.

Want to know more? Read the full report “Unlocking the Secrets of Hybrid Cloud Leaders” and take your business to the next level.