On Wednesday, VMware released a report that shows enterprises increasingly seeking out a hybrid infrastructure approach to their end-user computing (EUC) strategy.

The report, titled “Work Rises to the Cloud,” was compiled from a survey of 1,021 global members of the VMware Users Group (VMUG). Of the companies represented, 458 were SMBs, 335 were enterprises, and 228 were commercial organizations.

In terms of where they plan on deploying EUC tools, the results were a strong mix of both cloud and on-premises, which VMware said they believe signals that the future of EUC will be built on hybrid infrastructure. For desktop virtualization, 39% planned for primary on-premises deployment, 31% planned for a mix of cloud and on-prem, 16% were for an exclusive on-prem deployment, 9% were primarily cloud, and 5% were exclusively cloud.

Applications saw a similar spread. Of the respondents, 36% were for primarily on-prem, 34% were for a hybrid mix, 13% were primarily cloud, 11% were exclusive on-prem, and 5% were exclusive cloud. EMM saw 29% of a hybrid mix, 28% primary on-prem, 19% primarily cloud, 14% exclusively cloud, and 10% exclusively on-prem.

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Most respondents were not evaluating fully cloud-hosted EUC tools, and the ones who were evaluating them were still 6-12 months out from deployment. However, for those who were evaluating them, 48% were looking at desktops, 64% were looking at apps, and 67% were looking at EMM.

For the respondents who were evaluating cloud-based solutions, the driving factors were higher availability, less maintenance, and improved scalability. The biggest barrier to cloud-based EUC, though, was security concerns, with 64% of respondents listing it. According to a press release, “Other top concerns include loss of control (39%), fear of cost increases (37%), performance concerns(35%), and existing investment in on-premise solutions (38%).”

The top reasons for considering such cloud options in desktops and apps were for full-time employees, BYOD programs, and branch offices. Driving the decisions for moving to both cloud desktops and apps were the IT department (40% desktops, 48% apps) and non-CIO executives (21% desktops, 15% apps).

EUC was also a major part of VMware’s recent VMworld conference in Las Vegas. The firm’s Fusion and Workstation products both got support for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, while new endpoint management solutions were announced as well.

The biggest announcement, though, was VMware’s new Cross-Cloud Architecture, Cross-Cloud services, and Cloud Foundation. With such a strong recent focus on cloud and EUC, it makes sense that VMware would be researching these trends among its audience.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

  1. A new VMware report shows that many VMUG members are leaning toward a hybrid architecture for EUC products like EMM, virtualized desktops, and apps.
  2. The biggest driver of cloud-based EUC was greater availability, while security concerns were the biggest barrier.
  3. Cloud and EUC were major focuses of the 2016 VMworld conference last week in Las Vegas.