New Google Study All About The Cloud

August 29, 2016

The Economist Intellectual Unit recently released a Google-sponsored study about the now-famous Cloud and its many benefits. While some might argue that the study is biased, considering Google’s deep interest in Cloud studies, there are still many benefits of Cloud migration that fall into the “Surprise!” category. The study does note that cloud computing alone is not the only path to improved financial results. It is merely one component.

Study Findings

The main findings from the Google-powered study include:

  • Cloud-based tech already accounts for a generous portion of government and corporate IT systems.
  • Trust in Cloud technology is increasing, though still a subject of debate. Only 16 percent of study respondents said they have “high trust” in the Cloud.
  • Respondents who claimed high trust in the Cloud said their companies enjoyed improvements in both financial and non-financial metrics such as revenue and profit/share price growth.
  • Such positive business outcomes are connected to company willingness to encourage business transformations that “leverage what the Cloud offers.”
  • Successful Cloud development within a business depends on senior executives supporting employees who use the Cloud and encouraging them to experiment with it.

The Importance of Cloud Trust

Trust in Cloud technology is unsurprisingly linked to use success. For example, it is challenging to make any improvements that are not peripheral in nature without trust in the Cloud. The study quotes Guilherme Cruz, the CIO large Brazilian shipping firm Wilson, Sons, concerning the importance of Cloud trust. Cruz praises the Cloud for changing the way his company does business, and says it has improved efficiency. He added that large company changes are only possible if you trust the technology you are using.

Cloud Trust...in Time

As with virtually every other technology that has come into existence, trust in Cloud technology is something that is developing over time. The telegraph was not always trusted, yet became a staple in the late 1880s. The study suggests the same will occur with the Cloud. Building Cloud trust is not something that will happen overnight; however, as long as providers and their customers demonstrate the technology’s trustworthiness to the fullest extent, reliance on the Cloud will increase. Transparency and good governance are the paths to such trust, as is education.