The Top Cloud Technology Concerns Can Be Addressed Through Education

It’s well known that while organizations are aware of the cloud and its many benefits, they have concerns when it comes to actually adopting cloud-based solutions. Service providers are stepping up to the plate to head off those fears by better educating customers and prospects about cloud services and security, which has helped organizations of all sizes as they slowly migrate to the cloud.

Understanding customers’ primary concerns is key to improving adoption rates, and now tech solutions provider Insight Enterprises has unveiled a list of the most common concerns. The company based its findings on its own research, but the concerns echo October findings from Insight Research. The primary concerns are focused on data security, unknown costs and a relative lack of knowledge about the efficiencies the cloud can enable—all topics service providers can address head on to boost awareness.

Security has always been and remains a primary concern for customers considering cloud services. There is a perception that sensitive data may be less secure in the cloud, and businesses also fear losing control of some or all of their operations when they move services to the cloud. This fear has been offset, somewhat, by employee adoption of cloud services as well as the popularity of the BYOD trend.

IT departments are in a state of flux as they become overworked and overburdened by constantly increasing technology demands. Yet some IT personnel are concerned that a cloud migration will add to their troubles when in reality, moving services to the cloud is a major asset. By offloading some less important tasks, for instance, IT departments regain staff and resources and can focus more on strategic core business initiatives.

Money is a factor in any major technology decision, and organizations often question whether a move to the cloud will yield a return on investment. The reality is that the cloud offers more predictable costs as well as quicker and easier access to a much broader range of technology capabilities. ROI is typically seen across the board, from IaaS solutions to SaaS (News - Alert) solutions like unified communications and VoIP.

Choosing a trusted provider is an essential component of cloud adoption and migration. Many organizations express concerns about whether they can trust another party to handle business operations in the cloud. The key is to research diligently or choose a trusted service provider who will do the research on third-party solutions to ensure they are meeting the highest security and performance requirements.

With proper research on the part of businesses and increased education and awareness from service providers, cloud concerns may be easily allayed. The cloud is increasingly becoming entrenched in technology culture and part of the logical migration path is simple knowledge about how it works and what can be expected when adopting cloud solutions.