Cloud computing benefits felt widely among UK businesses

Cloud computing benefits felt widely among UK businesses

A new study has been carried out in order to establish just how beneficial cloud computing services have been to UK businesses.

BT Engage IT took on independent research firm Vanson Bourn to complete the survey of UK firms. They found that 70 per cent of the CIOs questioned agreed that: “cloud computing and virtualization technology had the biggest positive impact on businesses in 2011."

The survey established that Cloud computing, which used to be a popular notion, but was still considered pie-in-the-sky by many just a few years ago, is now of a major benefits to UK companies, according to the research. And it’s not just large firms feeling the love, with 76 per cent of CIOs of smaller firms (counted as those with between 1,000 and 3,000 employees) rating cloud computing favourably.

BT Engage’s CEO, John Thornhill, said that cloud computing had become a “business, rather than just technology terms and companies are now using these technologies in earnest.” The change in attitudes to cloud computing has been quite remarkable and it has, as a result, become an everyday occurrence to most businesses. This is, it seems simply down to the fact that its benefits are so clear to see, in terms of money and time saving, flexibility, security, scalability and productivity.

Business that have turned to virtualisation and cloud technologies have seen a marked improvement in productivity and, in turn, customer service, according to Mr Thornhill. CIOs also reported their profile increasing as they are able to concentrate more fully on their strategic roles.

The researchers at Vanson Bourn, together with BT Engage. concluded that the focus on cloud computing and its benefits for the business world are likely to continue for the coming year. Firms could even start to prioritise the cloud even further as its benefits become well known among the small element of the business community that remains sceptical.

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