Report: Employees need further knowledge regarding the cloud

According to a recent survey and report completed by GfK Business & Technology, enterprise adoption of cloud computing has the ability to enhance current consumer data consumption. However, one major challenge related to the managed IT service is the lack of knowledge many employees have regarding it.

Of the 1,000 respondents to GfK's survey, only 9 percent admitted to fully understanding the cloud. Furthermore, 62 percent were either not aware of the cloud or for those who were aware, did not understand it. Thus, many companies now need to invest the necessary resources to bring their employees up to speed, or hire those that are already skilled in the technology.

"Consumers are now facing similar challenges once only faced by enterprises in needing to securely manage massive amounts of data," said Rob Barrish, senior vice president of GfK Business & Technology. "When rolling out cloud-based services, it will be important for marketers to keep in mind that consumers want to be able to access content on all of their devices across multiple platforms."

The survey also found that cloud marketers need to promote their products' security strength as a major benefit, as many employees and businesses have become skeptical of data security.

The growth of cloud computing across many sectors has led to optimistic market projections from multiple research firms. IDC recently estimated worldwide IT spending on the cloud will reach $44.2 billion by 2013.