Semiconductor
manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices announced the results of a global research
study on adoption, attitudes and approaches to cloud computing, surveying IT
decision-makers in public and private sector organizations across the United
States, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The findings revealed global and regional
trends in cloud computing adoption and usage, highlighting the importance of
both infrastructure and workloads in considering a cloud computing model.
The
survey found cloud computing is maturing rapidly, with 70 percent of
respondents indicating they are either using or currently investigating cloud
computing for remotely hosted applications or to store data. Of those
organizations that have deployed cloud solutions, 60 percent reported that they
are already seeing business value. Among current cloud users, 92 percent stated
that infrastructure was an important part of their decision to move to a cloud
computing model. As cloud adoption continues to increase, so does the value of
the data that lives in the cloud.
Sixty-three
percent of those using the cloud to host data estimated they store more than
$250,000 worth of data in the cloud, and by evaluating this survey field alone
as a sample of the industry at large, it can be estimated that billions of
dollars in active data currently live in the cloud.
"Based
on the findings of this global study, AMD believes it is time for the industry
to reshape the way we think about cloud technology," said Patrick Patla,
general manager and vice president of AMD’s server and embedded divisions.
"The findings point to the fact that while the era of cloud computing has
arrived, there are radically different attitudes, approaches, concerns and
levels of maturity depending on business environment.”
Ninety-two
percent of respondents currently using the cloud stated that infrastructure was
important in their decision to adopt cloud computing. Global private sector
respondents also identified the workloads they believe most suited potentially
for cloud computing as email, finance/accounting and Web serving, in that
order. Nearly one in 10 organizations in the United States estimated they store
more than $10 million worth of data in the cloud. However, 63 percent of global
respondents still view security as one of the greatest risks associated with
the model.
For
those currently using the cloud, 75 percent had the necessary IT skills to
implement the solution, versus only 39 percent of those who are currently
investigating cloud today. Cloud users are able to access their services
primarily via a PC (90 percent), followed by smartphone (56 percent), tablet
(37 percent) and thin client (32 percent).
“As
an industry, we must provide clear guidance about how to optimize hardware and
software for all types of clouds, focusing on custom parts for specific
workloads that are prevalent in the cloud and the appropriate balance of
performance, power and cost efficiency they require,” Patla said.
Cloud Computing 
