CIF: Server 2003 death to breathe life into cloud

Cloud Industry Forum claims almost 80 per cent of firms use at least two cloud services

The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) predicts the end of support for Windows Server 2003 will boost the already booming cloud industry in the UK.

According to its latest research, 78 per cent of the 250 senior IT and business decision makers it surveyed have formally adopted two or more cloud services, and the adoption rate for cloud in the UK stands at 84 per cent. When the survey was first carried out in 2010, the adoption rate was just 48 per cent.

Half of all respondents to the survey, which was performed in February, expect to move their entire IT estate to cloud in the future, with 16 per cent claiming they want to do this as soon as practically possible.

CIF chief executive Alex Hilton said cloud is on the up.

"Cloud computing has come a long way in just a few short years," he said. "[Since 2010] cloud has moved from the edge of the IT estate to its centre, and it is now largely regarded as just another way that we do IT."

Last week, reseller Annodata said the government IT framework G-Cloud would likely surge in popularity as Windows Server 2003 came to the end of support this July. CIF's Hilton said the entire cloud industry would benefit.

Hilton agreed. "Looking to the year ahead, we have every confidence that the cloud's momentum will be maintained, helped in no small part by the retirement of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Small Business Server 200," he said.

"While first-time adoption is likely to slow somewhat, penetration of cloud services within organisations, which appears to be happening at a faster rate than we had anticipated, will continue unencumbered. Assuming, that is, that cloud service providers can effectively put forward the business case for adoption and build further confidence among end users by improving levels of accountability, capability and transparency."