Forrester: Australian Cloud “Fast and Profitable”
A study conducted by the technology-centric research firm Forrester mentions that the business opportunities for cloud entrepreneurs in Australia is both “Fast and profitable.” Although Australia may have less people than China, Australia’s appetite for cloud is insatiable compared to the data collected from the Asian mainland.
James Staten is the Vice President and Principal Analyst Serving Infrastructure and Operations Professionals at Forrester and he wrote at length about the upside of targeting Australia’s cloud needs versus China. He mentioned that Australia “has significant enough similarities to the western world — a well-educated populace, a high income citizenship and desire for new technologies and innovations — to make success here far easier.” Staten goes on to mention that Australia “has a key advantage over its Asian peers: higher acceptance of cloud services.”
Staten mentions why his research shows that companies expanding on the other side of the hemisphere may want to look at Australia before they consider going into China. Staten’s top reasons for picking the country “Down under” is its “low cost of entry and rapid return on investment.
Staten goes on to list three key factors to this report. He mentions that Australia has a tech-forward culture. Being able to accept new technical concepts easily allows cloud services to target more than just businesses; Australian consumers will likely buy into cloud services before Chinese consumers. Staten goes on to say that a fast follower mentality in Australia also contributes to the culture’s readiness for cloud services. The last key factor is that Australia has a more highly educated pool of consumers which traditionally bodes well for cloud businesses who are seeking out consumer clients. What actual industries in Australia need cloud the most? Staten writes that retail banking, media, travel and e-Commerce are currently the top verticals for cloud entrepreneurs.
