Cloud Industry Forum reports on cloud uptake in UK

Cloud Industry Forum reports on cloud uptake in UK

The Cloud Industry Forum has released new research which shows that businesses across the UK are increasingly turning to the cloud, despite some ongoing concerns regarding data security.

The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) polled 250 IT ‘decision makers’ representing public and private sector organisations, and found that first-time users of some sort of cloud-related technology have risen by 27 per cent over the course of 2012.

Whilst just 48 per cent had tapped into the cloud last year, 61 per cent are now making use of the information sharing technology somewhere within their organisation. Many companies also reported that they had carried out pilot studies before making the cloud a permanent fixture, with 59 per cent reporting that they had tested the waters before signing the cloud supplier up.

Andy Burton, CIF Chairman, told Computer Weekly, “Cloud service providers should ensure that such trial capabilities are made available to demonstrate transparency of practice and capability. This in turn assists in establishing trust between the customer and the provider.”

Whilst the uptake of cloud services looks set to remain on an upward curve, concerns over security issues are ongoing. Almost 90 per cent of public sector respondents felt that data security within the cloud environment remained a worry, whilst 78 per cent of private sector respondents felt the same way.

Other concerns the IT professionals had regarding the cloud technology was supplier lock-in, IT control and the cost of migrating over to the cloud.

However, despite these worries, the research concluded that the majority – 75 per cent – of public and private sector organisations within the UK would be making use of at least one type of cloud-computing facility by the end of next year.

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