Cloud Is A Strategic Direction For Most Companies

More than 60 percent of responders to a recent survey said that moving to the cloud for applications, infrastructure, integration and other solutions is a strategic direction for their organization. Thirty-five percent of cloud strategy decision makers were C-level executives with IT management owning the strategy in 41 percent of the cases.

Most of the companies involved in the survey are already deploying cloud-based solutions. One-third (36 percent) of those surveyed have implemented at least one cloud solution, with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ranking among 70 percent of respondents as the number one cloud platform implemented or planned for implementation. An additional 25 percent said they are considering moving some or all business processes to the cloud, illustrating that more than half of the survey respondents see the value of the cloud.

However, lack of clarity around cloud benefits was the top reason cited by respondents for not currently implementing cloud-based solutions. Despite the growing adoption of cloud-based solutions, companies still struggle to understand what the cloud is and how to use it.

The survey also showed that security, management and scalability are the top considerations for companies when evaluating whether or not to deploy cloud solutions, with 70 percent citing the ability to secure data as their top priority. Other high scoring considerations include the ability to quickly integrate with internal applications and external partner systems as well as a "pay as you go" pricing model.

Comment from Margaret Dawson, vice president of marketing and product management at Hubspan: This research validates what we are seeing in the market, with many IT departments looking to move applications and business processes to the cloud but doing so in a strategic, thoughtful manner. No matter what challenge you are trying to solve, one of the key benefits of the cloud is being able to start small and grow both from a cost and implementation perspective.

About the survey: The survey on cloud computing and "as a service" solutions was conducted by Hubspan Inc., a provider of cloud-based business integration solutions. More than 200 companies completed the cloud survey, ranging in size from under 50 to several thousand employees. Respondents represented a range of industries, with high-tech, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail and B2B eCommerce accounting for 50 percent of the polls.

Contact: http://www.hubspan.com