Mimecast, a provider of cloud-based email security, continuity, policy control and archiving, released the results of a survey sponsored by them. As it is always with any vendor sponsored research, one should take it with a grain of salt. However, it does offer some insight into cloud adoption in US and UK. I will highlight some of the findings of their research in this post.- 51% of organizations surveyed are using some form of cloud computing service.
- The companies using cloud computing service are having high levels of satisfaction but those who are yet to jump onboard have concerns about cost and/or security
- Cloud adoption is more in US than in UK. 56% of US based organizations are using some form of cloud service whereas only 50% of surveyed UK organizations are using them. It is still a significant increase than a year or so ago.
- 70% of businesses in US and 60% in UK are seriously considering cloud computing in the coming years.
- 62 percent of the organizations that use cloud computing are using a cloud-based email application. Security and storage are the next most popular, used by 52 percent and 50 percent of organizations with at least one cloud-based service respectively.
- Among those already using cloud based servies, 57 percent say that moving data to the cloud has resulted in better security, with 58 percent saying it has given them better control of their data. Among current cloud users, 73 percent say it has reduced the cost of their IT infrastructure and 74 percent say it has alleviated the internal resource pressures upon the department.
- 58 percent of respondents thought that replacing legacy IT solutions will almost always cost more than the benefits of new IT.
- 54 percent of respondents feel that potential benefits of cloud delivery models are overstated by the IT industry.
The numbers quoted in this survey appear to be bloated but it does match with the overall trends we observe in the marketplace. Plus, we should keep in mind that the research is done across businesses of all sizes and shapes. Small and medium businesses have no problems embracing the cloud because it definitely offers them more advantages than the in-house IT. However, it is not the case with big enterprises. If you are interested in checking out the full report, you can get it here.
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