More than half of firms believe flexible working is a 'positive' for company

Nearly 90 per cent of firms expect to increase their adoption of cloud services in 2021, according to new data from the Cloud Industry Forum

More than half of companies consider a flexible approach to work as a positive, according to new research from the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF).

The industry body's survey also revealed that 41 per cent of organisations believe remote working is still not as secure as the office. It stated that the next phase of the ongoing hybrid working challenge is to maintain satisfaction with remote working while addressing those security concerns and ensuring a successful return to the office.

"The success of the vaccine rollout so far has imbued many of us with a genuine sense of optimism that normality may return soon," said Alex Hilton, CEO of CIF.

"That said, the way we work won't be the same: office life will undoubtedly return, but a hybrid system with frequent home working will become a fixture.

"Despite this reality and the fact that a majority of businesses see the benefits of a more flexible approach, our research shows that some security concerns associated with home working remain. This is something that organisations should be wise to as they plot what their post-pandemic working environment will look like."

The vast majority of respondents said they had to make changes to their IT strategies, while 55 per cent increased their adoption of cloud technologies to meet the challenge presented by COVID-19. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents expect to increase their adoption of cloud services over the course of this year.

"Collaboration apps like Zoom or Teams will inevitably remain popular, but cloud's potential goes way beyond that: its flexibility means businesses can scale their technology capabilities up and down according to the increasingly fluid needs of the organisation, and it provides the platform for leaders to explore transformative new initiatives such as AI and IoT projects," Hilton continued.

"As the government sets out its plans to reopen the economy, firms should be getting their own houses in order too.

"Most have done a fantastic job in remaining successful during this extended period of remote working, so now is the time to step it up further. This means identifying and addressing any lingering security issues, while adopting the technologies and processes needed to make the hybrid workplace a successful one."