Security risks stunt cloud adoption

Almost a quarter of IT decision makers have no plans to adopt cloud, according to poll

Security threats are putting off IT bosses weighing up the move to cloud, with 46 per cent citing this as the main reason they will not adopt, according to the results of a new survey.

The research, undertaken independently on behalf of recruitment agency Robert Half technologies, surveyed a representative sample of 100 companies across the UK.

Continuity of service was the second biggest turn-off for IT decision makers, with 36 per cent saying it deterred them. Data integrity and speed of service were also cited as barriers.

Overall, almost a quarter of IT decision makers have no plans to adopt cloud, with the Midlands area twice as likely not to adopt than other areas of the UK.

London firms came a close second, with 28 per cent of respondents from the capital saying they were not considering cloud.

Neil Hedges, senior manager at Robert Half Technology, believes many companies that are reluctant to adopt often do not understand the technology.

He said: "It is surprising that so many heads of IT appear to have not embraced the value of cloud technology, although this may be partly due to a lack of understanding of the benefits and how it can be applied to their organisation.

"Many companies without the requisite talent in-house are turning to IT contractors and project professionals to help educate their teams on how to adopt the cloud, mitigate against security risks and improve service delivery."