Firms and business within the Southwest region of the UK, are actively embracing Cloud Computing. According to a survey carried out by hosted IT service provider Rise, almost 70 per cent of IT decision-makers within the region have moved or will be moving their IT infrastructure from onsite to a Cloud based infrastructure within the next two years.

The survey was conducted at a recent event held in partnership with Rise and Bristol based, IT services specialists, soVision. The event was focused on dispelling the myths and lifting the confusion, which often surrounds Cloud Computing.

The results indicated that despite Southwest businesses showing a willingness to move to a hosted service, there still remains an element of confusion as to all the benefits, which can be seen by migrating to the Cloud. Almost 70 per cent of participants felt they didn’t understand all the benefits that hosted services had to offer and over 90 per cent felt that more education around Cloud Computing was needed.

According to Chris Thompson, IT services director at soVision, the Southwest of the UK is becoming a key champion for Cloud services, with more and more businesses looking to migrate their IT infrastructure: “Cloud Computing is becoming more and more understood and in the Southwest this is no different. Increasingly businesses are waking up to the benefits that Cloud has to offer.

The results from our recent event indicate firms are open to Cloud and are actively seeking information to help lift any confusion they might have. Although some doubts still persist, we are working with the likes of Rise to help eradicate concerns and provide a source of knowledge to local IT decision makers when it comes to hosted services.”

The survey also identified key concerns surrounding Cloud uptake, with over 70 per cent of participants pinpointing lack of confidence, cost and security as reasons why firms may be reluctant to invest in hosted services. Over 85 per cent of participants then went on to highlight that if these misconceptions surrounding Cloud were addressed, more firms would likely invest in a Cloud platform.

The figures indicate that despite some concerns still persisting, a lot of businesses particularly from the Southwest are starting to embrace hosted services. “The results of the survey made for very interesting reading”, said Steve Holford, director at Rise. “Last year was very much opening up businesses to what Cloud is, now we are starting to see firms embracing it. We applaud the work of soVision, they are working with local IT decisions makers to answer the questions they have around hosted services as well as lifting the lid on any confusion they might have. The results from the survey indicate that people are listening to what is being said and it’s great to see the Southwest region embracing new technologies that can help improve their business.”