Sometimes, familiarity does not breed contempt. To the contrary, according to a new survey from Bluetext, the more familiar government IT managers and influencers are with cloud computing, the more they support cloud initiatives.
The survey found that 7 in 10 of those most familiar with the cloud have considered using it. The vast majority of those in the know understand that the cloud is not only a solution to IT hurdles, it’s also a means to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and save taxpayers money.
In state and local government agencies across the country, to know the cloud is to embrace it.
At the same time, those polled believe that their political leaders are under-informed about cloud computing. The vast majority of IT influencers believe their bosses would support cloud initiatives if they knew more about its benefits.
The survey’s highlights:
• Seven in 10 of those very familiar with the cloud believe that cloud data centers would bring immediate cost savings to their agency.
• Nearly all polled (91%) would be interested in cloud data centers if they knew immediate costs savings could be had.
• Among those less familiar with the cloud, many are struggling to understand the benefits (35%) or how to get started (46%).
• Just 43% of those less familiar with the cloud say they have considered using it to save money and improve efficiencies.
• A majority of IT influencers (57%) say the political leadership of their government has the cloud on their radar to some degree, but just 17% say they are getting a lot of support from agency executives for IT cost-cutting initiatives.
The survey, conducted online by Fabrizio, Ward & Associates, interviewed 150 state and local government IT influencers nationally from August 15-16, 2011.
Complete survey results are available at http://www.thecloudplaybook.com.