Headlines: February 15th, 2012

As the Government’s first cloud-based service is set to go live in a few days, staff have given it a vote of confidence.

Over 60 per cent of public sector staff want to see the day-to-day software they use at work transferred to the cloud, according to a survey carried out by Virgin Business Media which covered some 5,000 businesses and public sector organisations. One in ten public sector staff are already using cloud software on a daily basis.

Cloud computing, which allows oganisations to share resources, software and applications, has the potential to bring radical change to public sector ICT services. Using the cloud will reduce costs and risks and bring scalability, and resilience.

Tony Grace, Chief Operating Officer of Virgin Media Business, said: “This year will see the cloud take off. The Government is ramping up activity and we’re working with them on the G-cloud initiative. But it’s not just the public sector, one in ten businesses have already started investing in cloud technology.

He added: “This should come as no surprise given the benefits that can be gained through cloud technology such as only paying for what you use rather than having to build your infrastructure to cope with peak demand.

However, the old uncertainties about cloud computing remain. Many top managers believe the risks are too great. The main worries are about data management and overall security.