Billions of dollars in active data lives in the cloud, as an increasing number of businesses store their valuable information in the cloud, according to AMD.
AMD released the results of its global research study on adoption, attitudes and approaches to cloud computing, which surveyed IT decision-makers from the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Nearly one in 10 US organisations estimate they store more than $10 million worth of data in the cloud. However, 63% of global respondents still view security as one of the greatest risks associated with the model.
The chip manufacturer found that 70% of organisations are either using or investigating cloud computing for remotely hosted applications or to store data.
Of those organisations that have deployed cloud solutions, 60% report they are already seeing business value.
While cloud computing adoption is increasing globally, Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says SA is beginning to recognise the cloud, although not yet embracing it, aside from early adopters.
“The concept still seems too nebulous to many, and the cloud crashes we have seen recently from the likes of Amazon have not helped,” says Goldstuck.
“The business case still needs to become clearer, and the process and benefits still needs to be better communicated for wide-scale adoption.”
Patrick Patla, AMD GM and VP of server and embedded divisions, says it's time for the industry to re-shape the way it thinks about cloud technology.
“The findings point to the fact that while the era of cloud computing has arrived, there are radically different attitudes, approaches, concerns and levels of maturity depending on business environment,” notes Patla.
“As an industry, we must provide clear guidance about how to optimise hardware and software for all types of clouds, focusing on custom parts for specific workloads that are prevalent in the cloud and the appropriate balance of performance, power and cost-efficiency they require.”
Among current cloud users, 92% say infrastructure was an important part of their decision to move to a cloud computing model.
AMD adds that the public sector is seeing increased rates of cloud computing adoption; however, the shortage of in-house skills to support cloud solutions remains a hurdle.
Some 43% of public sector respondents did not feel they had the skills in place to support cloud versus only 23% in the private sector.
In addition, AMD found that cloud users access their services primarily via a PC (90%), followed by smartphone (56%), tablet (37%), and thin client (32%).
According to IBM's latest CIO study, 'The Essential CIO', 60% of global organisations are ready to embrace cloud computing over the next five years as a means to grow their businesses and achieve competitive advantage.
Seven out of 10 CIOs in the US, Japan and South Korea, and 68% in China identify cloud as a top priority, states IBM.
This is up from 2009, when CIO interest in cloud computing was a third in each of those countries.
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