Verastar reports on the findings of a new study, which illustrates that UK businesses are not maximising the potential presented by cloud technologies to promote operation expansion.
Benefits and detriments
The research was commissioned by Cloudstanding.co.uk, a platform which is designed to provide businesses with the support they need to utilise cloud technologies. The study gathered the opinions of IT professionals, managers and C-level executives throughout a range of companies, from small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to operations with over 5,000 employees.
The research included a survey of 350 IT decision makers, which found that this demographic see both the benefits and detriments to cloud technology adoption. Over half (56%) said that they are drawn to the flexibility provided by cloud solutions and 43% praised these technologies for their scalability. However, the IT decision makers cited deployment (40%) and complexity (37%) as key concerns when it comes to adopting cloud technologies in their businesses.
Maximising full potential
Notably, 80% of IT decision makers surveyed said that they do not believe that their businesses are maximising the potential of the cloud technologies available to them. Broken down by company size, this was the opinion of 85% of IT professionals from businesses with more than 1,000 members of staff. Meanwhile, 78% of IT decision makers from business with under 250 employees said that they do not believe their companies are exploiting the complete benefits of the cloud.
Commenting, Cloudstanding Co-Founder Maarten ten Broeke explained: “Cloud technology can unshackle workforces when it comes to collaborative work and productivity. However, the shift to the cloud has taken place at such a rapid pace and not all stakeholders have taken the time to look at the different options available.”55% of business decision makers cited data protection as their biggest concern about cloud solutions, which may explain their reluctance to embrace these technologies.
Raising awareness
Continuing, ten Brooke noted: “In some cases, executives at the very highest level within an organisation are in the dark as to how cloud is being used within their business. They are simply not aware of the technology that has the potential to transition their company from a legacy-driven business into a more efficient and cohesive entity, running on the cloud. This is in contrast to the savvy IT professional on the front line who is very much aware of the cloud and its potential.
“Further education and access to expert industry insight is essential in order to allow these senior IT decision makers to discover the different options and make best use of this exciting technology.” In order to maximise the full potential of cloud technologies, businesses should also ensure they can access the robust infrastructure required to operate effectively online.
Verastar
Verastar is a leading provider of essential business services to micro SMEs, operating under the following brands: kinex, Clear Business Water, Titan Telecom, Marble Telecom, Economy Gas and 118777 Limited. Our business model is focused on providing a spectrum of consolidated services that disrupt traditional markets and create great savings, efficiencies and value for our customers.
