An assumed lack of confidence in cloud-based technology is one of the biggest barriers to adoption, says the UK-based Cloud Industry Forum.

A third of the 100 businesses questioned in a recent Cloud Industry Forum survey said this is the biggest hurdle that the industry has to overcome before we see a mainstream migration to the cloud.

However, 69 per cent of the same sample said a Code of Practice would be an important driver in the decision-making process in selecting a supplier, and 28 per cent said this would be essential.

Eighteen per cent of those questioned believe the hype surrounding the cloud is detrimental to its adoption, and 34 per cent cited security concerns as a major barrier to migration.

“These findings clearly highlight that the hype over the Cloud has yet to die down,” commented Andy Burton, chairman of the Cloud Industry Forum and chief executive of Fasthosts. “As a result many businesses remain somewhat sceptical over the promises that some vendors and suppliers are making. This lack of confidence is clear and yet when asked what would make any selection process easier the overwhelming majority would favour a Code of Practice to help make an informed choice. The advantages of cloud services over on-premise are often well understood, but making a clear choice of service provider is less clear.

“Businesses are increasingly aware of the benefits that the cloud can bring and in these straightened times cost reduction and flexibility are messages that resonates loud and clear. However, for the cloud to become the commercial success those in the industry claim it to be, there are a number of key issues suppliers need to address from transparency to reliability and from accountability to security of operations. The Code of Practice we have developed following extensive review and public consultation will be launched later this month. Our goal is to address these end user concerns by improving accessibility to meaningful and consistent information across vendors to help deliver on the promises migrating to the cloud can make.”

The research looked at the issues the industry as a whole must address to make the cloud a long-term success, and respondents ranked security of operation, reliability of operations, capability and processes, transparency of vendor identity/financial strength, and, service level reporting as the top five issues.

“What we launch this month is an objective, transparent approach to the definition of Cloud computing and the provision of sufficient information for prospective customers to make an informed decision on just which supplier can offer the best solution for a particular business need. The Cloud Industry Forum intend to drive the debate to ensure that Cloud service providers work in a common interest to ensure that challenges to cloud adoption are addressed in this industry-wide Code of Practice,” Burton concluded.

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