Cloud computing ‘poised to take off’

Cloud computing is gaining some serious traction, as reports show most organisations are looking at taking advantage of the technology.

In an IBM survey of 3,000 global chief information officers (CIOs), 60 per cent said they planned to use cloud services in the next five years to gain a competitive advantage.

This figure almost doubled the number of CIOs who said the same last year, as IBM claimed cloud computing was "poised to take off."

In an industry breakdown, the report released today showed 73 per cent of media and entertainment companies planned cloud use, compared to 70 per cent in the automotive market and 69 per cent in telecoms.

In another key finding, over eight in 10 CIOs saw business intelligence and analytics as top priorities for their business.

"The winners will be those companies that understand the power of technologies like cloud, analytics and mobility, and can harness that power to transform their businesses," said Jeanette Horan, vice president and CIO at IBM.

Multinational interest

Multinationals have also been looking at the cloud, with deployment soaring, according to a report from Ovum for Cable & Wireless.

Adoption of cloud services in multinational corporations (MNCs) was up 61 per cent from April 2010, the data found, with 45 per cent using cloud for at least some of their key IT services.

"We believe the majority of MNCs are currently between early' and 'adolescent' adoption phases of cloud-based services, with broader and deeper adoption being contemplated," said Evan Kirchheimer, practice leader for enterprise services at Ovum.

"Greater adoption is dependent on the resolution of security, governance and reliability and once these concerns are addressed through standardised, tested offers from service providers, more large enterprises will feel comfortable positioning cloud as a preferred procurement option."

Backup and storage were the key areas of cloud uptake for MCCs, with 51 per cent of respondents using it for those reasons. Another third said they planned to procure cloud data backup and storage services in the next two years.

Despite these positive findings for cloud uptake, recent research from VMware indicated UK SMEs were behind the rest of Europe when it came to adoption.