While cloud computing is making solid progress, it's not taking the industry by storm as some cloud vendors seem to believe, according to CDW 2011 Cloud Computing Tracking Poll, an assessment of current and future cloud computing use in business, government, healthcare and education. Distributor CDW surveyed 1,200 IT professionals familiar with their organization's use of, or plans for, cloud computing.
Only 28 percent of U.S. organizations are using cloud computing today, CDW found. That number needs some clarification, however.
"We define 'using' as implementing a specific IT-endorsed plan and a disciplined methodological approach," said David Cottingham, senior director, managed services at CDW. "We also found that 84 percent have employed at least one cloud application."
Why then the huge discrepancy between the 28 percent and 84 percent metrics? Cottingham says that the majority of the 84 percent don't have a focused cloud strategy.
