KPMG study shows Spain and South Africa as major players in the cloud
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07/23/2010
A new KPMG study, which surveyed more than 5,600 individuals from 22 countries, found the majority of respondents use cloud computing services.
Nearly 66 percent of respondents said they use the cloud for services such as data storage and shared applications. Twenty percent said their medical and financial records are currently stored in the cloud.
While worldwide use of the cloud is high, some countries have adopted the technology in much larger doses than others. According to the report, in Spain, 89 percent said they use applications or services that run in the cloud, while in South Africa, the number is 10 percent less.
The United States ranks much lower, with only 51 percent of U.S. consumers currently using cloud services.
Gary Matuszak, a partner at KPMG, said there continue to be hurdles obstructing individuals from embracing the cloud.
“The main barriers to more use of cloud computing services are lack of awareness and lack of perceived need,” he said. “There does not seem to be any significant bias against using remote applications instead of applications residing on one’s computer.”
If Matuszak is right, then the cloud may have already bypassed one of its major criticisms - security. Companies have criticized the technology for not being safe enough for data storage, but according to the survey’s results, many consumers do not think cloud applications are any less secure than conventional desktop software. As more users debunk the myth surrounding security weaknesses with the cloud, the percentage of users may rapidly increase.
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