Cloud Computing Goes Mainstream

More than eight in 10 companies currently deploy cloud computing solutions or services, and more than 50 percent plan to increase their cloud investment by 10 percent or more in 2012, according to the latest "Annual Trends in Cloud Computing" survey from CompTIA. These numbers reflect a notable rise in mainstream acceptance of cloud computing, as 85 percent of survey respondents now feel more positive about the cloud than they did last year. And IT departments are having to adjust by adding employees with cloud-friendly skill sets. "Internal IT departments are on the edge of major transformation," says Seth Robinson, director of technology analysis for CompTIA. "The option for cloud solutions is opening the doors for IT professionals to perform new tasks--or, at least, perform old tasks in new ways. It's also creating new job roles and functions to more tightly integrate IT teams with lines of business." CompTIA is the leading nonprofit association for the information technology industry. The findings are based on two separate online surveys of 500 U.S. IT and business professionals involved in IT decision making, as well as 400 IT firms.