Companies Hit Pause on Digital Transformation Despite Spending More on Cloud

It estimates that companies world-wide spent $31 billion on cloud services between January and March, up 34% from the same period last year. The cloud market has seen back-to-back quarterly growth in recent years as companies seek lasting changes to their information technology systems by renting infrastructure and applications from cloud providers. The Morning Download delivers daily insights and news on business technology from the CIO Journal team. Many companies have also sought more advanced cloud-enabled capabilities, such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and robotic software, aiming to cut costs or generate revenue from new services. But gains this year are being fueled by shorter-term needs, said Canalys chief analyst Matthew Ball.