Customers less skeptical about the safety of cloud computing

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly prevalent among enterprises. Still, customers haven't fully accepted the solution yet and have long been skeptical due to safety and privacy issues.

However, according to a survey recently conducted by the Yankee Group, customers' perceptions are changing. Fifty-seven percent of the survey's respondents reported that they view cloud computing as an enabling technology, implying that the benefits of cost savings and flexibility outweigh any safety concerns.

Instead of discussing safety issues, customers now assess which option to go for - either public or private cloud services. Seventy percent still prefer private clouds, revealing persistent concern for the company's safety. Public clouds are commonly perceived as risky due to potential data leaks and security breaches, in spite of technologies such as Amazon's Virtual Private Cloud.

It is hard to predict when or whether enterprises ever will overcome their fear of the cloud. In order for that to happen, vendors must make a more compelling case beyond just the economics of cloud computing.