Security, local presence important when choosing a cloud provider: survey

Eighty-four per cent out of 109 respondents say security is of critical importance when choosing a cloud services provider

Cyber security, product knowledge and having data hosted within an Australian data centre were cited as critical factors when selecting a cloud services provider, according to the results of a new survey.

Brennan IT conducted a survey with 109 medium sized Australian businesses in January 2015. Security was cited as very important by 84 per cent of respondents, while 77 per cent said the provider’s knowledge of cloud services and 24/7 contact availability were key considerations.

In addition, 63 per cent of those surveyed said they were willing to pay for superior customer support service, while 74 per cent of respondents said it was very important that their data was hosted within an Australian data centre.

The survey also found that 59 per cent of organisations are currently using cloud services such as data hosting. Thirty-one per cent of respondents who had adopted the cloud said they would recommend other organisations to use the cloud for data backups.

Brennan IT’s survey follows a report by IDG Connect/ EMC published in January 2015, which found that approximately two thirds of Australian and New Zealand companies are interested in using public and private cloud services to aid cost effective business growth.

Conducted with 100 firms in A/NZ during October and November 2014, the survey found that 68 per cent of respondents would use external/public cloud services, while 67 per cent said they would use internal private cloud services that are managed by their IT department.

In addition, 90 per cent of businesses surveyed said the flexibility to scale IT capacity up or down to match business requirements is important. This is because they expect the cloud to be a productivity tool and a driver of cost effective business growth.

Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia

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