Cloud Computing Research Shows Flexibility a Factor in SaaS Adoption
More than 50 percent of cloud computing users cite convenience, flexibility, and ease of deployment as key factors.
SpamTitan, a producer of email security solutions headquartered in Galway, Ireland, announced a number of statistics from its recent cloud computing research. Approximately 68 percent of online users use some form of cloud computing, defined as any Web-based activity that involves storing data and/or accessing online applications (such as Webmail services; services that involve the storing of personal photos, videos, or computer files; or applications such as Google Documents or Adobe Photoshop Express).
More than 50 percent of Internet users who have done a cloud computing activity say the major reasons are convenience, flexibility, and ease of deployment; 41 percent say the major reason they use these applications in a cloud environment is the ability to access data from any computer or remote location. Ease of sharing information is the top reason to use a SaaS application, according to 39 percent of respondents, and 63 percent expect superior customer service and performance and would quickly switch to another provider if they felt the level of service was not up to par.
According to Ronan Kavanagh, SpamTitan CEO, “This is a service culture, and if you don’t provide great service, people will stop subscribing. We need to look at managing each level of the customer experience and migrating back to a ‘customer is king’ mentality. Our research shows that this is a win-win scenario for all in that service providers will be able to offer their customers and prospects more and customers will reap the benefits of higher performance and customer satisfaction.”
SpamTitan predicts that the increasing adoption of cloud computing will ultimately have an effect on the online application and the SaaS industry as a whole in that consumers will have more application options and vendors to choose from which is creating an even more aggressive, competitive climate. As a result, customer loyalty and retention will become top priorities for online service providers as the number of providers increases along with their ability to attract prospective buyers.
Fully 53 percent of Internet users involved with any kind of SaaS application find that the expense involved with cloud computing is a fraction of what it would cost a company to buy and operate a similar system on their own. SpamTitan believes the reason for this is that the complexity of the IT is removed from the user and resides in a data center, accessible wherever there is an Internet connection. New capabilities are also delivered faster in the cloud with instant access to technology updates and where users no longer have to wait a year or more for the next release.
