Cloud 'now mainstream technology'

Cloud 'now mainstream technology'

Cloud computing is now accepted as a mainstream part of the UK’s IT by businesses, according to a new study.

Almost eight out of 10 (78 per cent) IT decision-makers quizzed by industry body the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) said they have now adopted at least one element of the cloud in their workplaces.

The report said that there has been a 15 per cent jump in the number of businesses using the cloud since it last carried out a similar survey in September last year, and it expects that figure to rise to 20 per cent by this September. This is the fifth survey it has carried out into cloud usage among UK businesses in the last two years.

CIF chief executive Alex Hilton told IT Pro Portal: “Over the next year we can say with some confidence that first time cloud adoption will increase by 15 per cent.

“This means that 90 per cent of all businesses in the UK will be formally using at least one cloud service by the end of 2015. In the near term, adopting will be driven in part by the end of support for Windows Server 2003 that concludes in July 2015.”

Among the cloud users in the survey, 45 per cent used one service, 28 per cent two, 13 per cent used three, and 14 per cent had four or more.

However, the study found there is still some way to go before the cloud overtakes traditional IT services. Some 85 per cent of those questioned said their business still uses servers on site and data centres, which will continue to affect their spending on new IT equipment. The mix of traditional and cloud services is creating a ‘hybrid’ IT world.

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