The report, which was conducted by Cordys, the business process improvement consultancy, says the overwhelming majority of UK businesses believe that moving to a cloud computing platform is one of the most important trends in IT over the next few years.
The research, which took in interviews with 100 senior IT professionals at the recent Cloud World Forum in London, found that 59%% of those questioned thought that the advent of the cloud was a pivotal issue for business.
The same sample found also that 17% had already migrated to a cloud mode and that 39% were actively implementing a cloud strategy. In addition, Cordys says that 32% were planning to implement cloud technology in the next 6 to 12 months.
Commenting on the figures, Peter Karsten, vice president of UK sales with the firm, said that there will be many ways in which the cloud will change businesses and the economy. "Most of them are hard to predict, but one theme is already emerging. Businesses are becoming more like the technology itself - more adaptable, more interwoven and more specialised", he said.
According to Karsten, in many ways, the business benefits of the cloud are obvious. "The high-risk strategy in the current economic downturn is to batten down the hatches and do nothing. The lower risk strategy is to exploit the new cloud capabilities to break the inflexibility of legacy, gaining process change, flexibility and agility, and the ability to take out operational costs ½ all vital in managing a business through very challenging times", he explained.
Cordys' research also highlighted the key business benefits that organisations had identified as a result of migrating to the cloud.
Just over a quarter (26%) stated that reduced cost was the driver for migrating to the cloud. Improved business operational efficiency was cited by 22% and increased corporate flexibility was the driver for 21% of those questioned.