Study: Widespread cloud adoption on the horizon

Further evidence that more companies view cloud computing as the way of the future, a recent study conducted by Axois Systems found that 68 percent of organizations worldwide plan to implement a cloud strategy in the near future.

Indeed, Axios' study reflects a growing number of reports that forecast the cloud's growth among businesses of all sizes. According to the report, 28 percent of survey respondents indicated they have already adopted a cloud computing strategy, while 5 percent plan to implement a cloud solution within the next three months.

At the same time, however, the study revealed that many companies still believe the cloud needs to mature before they can be comfortable using the technology for certain business applications. According to the study, slightly more than half of respondents said they do not believe the cloud is mature enough to support their IT service management processes.

This echoes lingering doubts about the security aspects of the cloud. Even as more experts assert that the cloud can actually provide more data protection than many on-premise solutions, it is evident that some businesses are not yet comfortable storing their sensitive data in the cloud.

However, the benefits of the cloud may soon outweigh the potential challenges. According to a separate study by IT news provider TechTarget, more companies plan to make room in their IT budgets for cloud computing initiatives than ever before. The study, which surveyed 500 North American companies, found 70 percent of respondents plan to allocate funds to the cloud this year - a sizable increase from the fewer than 10 percent that indicated as such last year.

Nevertheless, as the cloud continues to grow, it is evident that vendors must either increase their data security practices or find a way to market their already-sufficient practices better.