Research Finds 67% Rise in Number of Companies Using Cloud Services

But although companies are quickly adopting cloud computing, many are neglecting such fundamentals as integration, security, connectivity, monitoring, continuity planning and long-term staffing, the report found.

The number of companies using cloud services increased from 18% in February 2009 to 30% in October 2010, according to the 2011 InformationWeek Analytics State of Cloud Computing Survey -- that's a jump of 67%. Another 13% of respondents say they plan to use cloud services within 12 months.

The report, State of Cloud 2011: Time for Process Maturation, is the result of a survey of more than 600 business technology executives.

But while companies are quickly adopting cloud computing concepts, many are neglecting such fundamentals as integration, security, connectivity, monitoring, continuity planning and long-term staffing, the report found.

Only 29% of firms using or planning to use the cloud have evaluated its impact on their existing architectures. Just 20% of those polled say they monitor cloud applications and throughput and 40% say they don't have any monitoring program in place for cloud services.

"The up-front cost savings and speed to market you get from the cloud make it extremely tempting," says Lorna Garey, content director of InformationWeek Analytics. "And that's great -- you should take advantage of it. But first you have to put some processes in place so cloud services -- and responsibility for those services -- are integrated into your existing set-up. Cloud applications must be monitored and measured just like any other application," she adds.