While cloud computing has seen significant uptake in the United Kingdom, its implementation still lags behind businesses on the European mainland, according to a recent survey.

Virtualisation providers VMWare released a survey of some 1,600 businesses across Europe, and while an admirable 48 per cent of UK businesses had signed up for some form of cloud services, firms in Continental Europe led the field with 60 per cent of them migrating their systems from legacy architecture.

According to the survey, many businesses opted for cloud storage first over other services. Software delivered through the cloud, or Software as a Service, proved popular as well, with many choosing hosted email solutions or word processing and spreadsheet applications making use of cloud technology.

Analysts also found smaller start-ups - who might not have existing legacy architecture - to be most inclined to adopt cloud services, as it can boost IT strength without the same investment as server hardware and network software.

"The earliest adopters are technically oriented start-ups with no installed base of systems, people who are comfortable with putting their applications and data in the crowd," Chris Jagusz, retail managing director at the Daisy Group, told the Telegraph.

"We've moved every service we possibly can to a cloud provider," said British software provider Duane Jackson. "Our email service, file storage and telephone exchange, customer support system and email marketing system are all cloud-based."

"The immediate benefit was the ability for any of my staff to work from anywhere with an internet connection and be able to access all of these resources as if they were in the office," he told the Telegraph.

Written by Jason Morton
 

UK cloud computing playing catch-up with Continentals