Small- and medium-sized businesses are turning to cloud computing at a faster rate than ever in hopes of reducing costs by outsourcing IT to a SaaS provider, according to Outsourcery.

Large companies adopted cloud computing at higher rates in the earliest stages of the shift, but small businesses are seeking new ways to save money and increase efficiency with their organization. They often prefer SaaS to other forms of cloud computing because, according to industry professionals, they are more like to seek specific services through the cloud rather than new technologies. The recent rate of growth in the customer relatonship management field is a likely indicator of this thought.

"Cloud computing adoption is growing at over six times the rate of traditional IT," senior vice president of IDC Frank Gens told Outsourcery. "In 2010, it is quickly moving from early adopters to mainstream organizations, and is moving to the top of many chief information officers' strategic considerations, often at the request of their senior executives."

Cloud-based businesses like Salesforce.com have start offering service plans tailored to the needs of small businesses. Salesforce.com's newest feature, "Chatter," is a social networking tool aimed at helping small businesses share business leads and develop sales pipelines, according to USA Today.ADNFCR-2553-ID-19659919-ADNFCR