For all the hype around cloud computing, few business customers are actually storing data on Web-based platforms, according to a new study that casts doubt on the popularity of cloud storage. Just 3 percent of companies have implemented cloud storage, and the vast majority of the customers have no plans to put data in the cloud, according to a survey of 1,272 IT decision-makers at enterprises and SMBs in North America and Europe. "Respondents in all geographies and of all company sizes appear to have little interest in moving their data to the cloud any time soon," according to Forrester analyst Andrew Reichman. "There is long-term potential for storage-as-a-service, but Forrester sees issues with guaranteed service levels, security, chain of custody, shared tenancy, and long-term pricing as significant barriers that still need to be addressed before it takes off in any meaningful way."
