The Cloud Circle today (1 Dec) releases its 2^nd Industry Trends Report – the practicalities of cloud deployment, featuring a survey of over 250 senior business, finance and IT decision makers from some of Britain’s leading enterprises.

The findings of the independent research reveal that while saving money is seen as a primary objective in moving to cloud products and services, alongside improving agility/flexibility (both 56%), over half (56% again) are unsure how much money they can save.

Furthermore, just under half (45%) don’t know how much money they’ll need to invest upfront for their cloud adoption project while a third (30%) don’t know when they can hope to realise a return on their investment.

Following on from the 1^st Industry Trends Report, released in September, other findings reveal that only 15% of businesses plan to encrypt their own data before they move to the cloud. Meanwhile, the much discussed issue of security (34%) in the cloud is seen as a less important feature of a Service Level Agreement than performance and response time (60%) and uptime (53%).

Additional areas of study within the survey include the preparation work needed before cloud adoption, the methodologies for calculating requirements and the timeframes users will employ for reviewing projects.

Emma Taylor, founder and managing director of The Cloud Circle, said:

“One of the things we hear most often from our members that have either gone through cloud implementations already or are now planning to do so is that while cost savings are undoubtedly achievable, working out the different figures involved can be very difficult. This is particularly true when comparing potential costs from vendors. We will continue to pass this feedback to them in the hope that they will look to create common, transparent pricing structures that make procurement simpler.

“It is no surprise that agility and flexibility are seen to be as important as cost efficiencies, particularly during these times of serious economic and political uncertainty. Many organisations are looking to use the cloud for innovation purposes – to add value to their processes and offerings – and to give them critical competitive advantage. This is a very positive reaction to the current business climate we face.”

As well as in-depth analysis of the survey findings, provided by a panel of cloud experts, the 24-page Industry Trends Report contains an interview with John Lewis’ director of IT Paul Coby, case studies on Royal Mail andYo! Sushi and a feature containing best practice tips for the cloud adoption process.

Members of the survey analysis panel included:

•    Aoun Shamsi, head of business solutions, Hatfield Philips
•    Dr Graham Oakes, business process efficiency expert and principal, Graham Oakes Ltd
•    Michael Charles, product manager, Outsourcery
•    Simon May, IT pro evangelist, Microsoft (report sponsor)

Click here to access a PDF version of the report or contact The Cloud Circle if you would like a hard copy.

We would love to hear your feedback. To get in touch please email mark.young@thecloudcircle.com.