Cloud continues to confuse consumers, report finds

Cloud continues to confuse consumers, report finds

British consumers remain confused about cloud computing and don’t understand what it is, according to a new survey.

The report by Juniper Networks found that more than two in 10 either did not use the cloud or did not know what it was. That was despite many of those questioned using cloud-based services such as picture-sharing site Instagram and music streaming service Spotify.

Juniper Networks’ Nigel Oakley told IT Pro Portal: "There appears to be a significant lack of consumer awareness of cloud technology and its benefits, despite many survey respondents who are happy to input their personal and private information on to cloud-based applications such as DropBox and Evernote.”

The survey of 2,000 people found that almost three-quarters of those questioned believed that the cloud had made either no or little difference to their lives.

The report found that general consumers continue to view the technology differently to business users. Small businesses, especially start-ups, said they were impressed most by the cost savings associated with cloud services. General consumers, however, opted for the data back-up and access anywhere facets as the most useful aspects of cloud computing. Fewer than two in 10 – 17 per cent – said the ability to access information from different devices was the most useful thing about the technology.

The report also found major differences in how the technology is viewed and used depending on the consumer’s age-group. More than half of those aged under 25 (54 per cent) claimed that the technology had either completely or significantly changed their lives. However, an even bigger proportion – 65 per cent – of those aged 55 or older said that it had made "no difference" to their lives.

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