Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that use a cloud service gain significant security, privacy and reliability advantages compared with companies that have not adopted the cloud.

A study commissioned by Microsoft claims that perceptions of the cloud held by nonusers directly contrast with the real experiences of cloud adopters.

“There’s a big gap between perception and reality when it comes to the cloud," says Adrienne Hall, general manager, Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft.

"SMBs that have adopted cloud services found security, privacy and reliability advantages to an extent they didn’t expect."

“The real silver lining in cloud computing is that it enables companies not only to invest more time and money into growing their business, but to better secure their data and to do so with greater degrees of service reliability as well.”

Asking SMBs that have not adopted the cloud what was holding them back, Microsoft says:

• 60% cited concerns around data security

• 45% worried that using the cloud would result in a lack of control over their data

• 42% doubted the reliability of the cloud

The study found however that the experiences of SMBs that use cloud services contradict these concerns:

• 94% have gained security benefits they did not have with their former on-premises technology, such as up-to-date systems, up-to-date antivirus and spam email management

• 62% have seen increased levels of privacy protection

• 75% have experienced improved service availability

Hall says 70% of SMBs in the study think that adopting a cloud service meant they could invest money and time savings into areas such as product development and innovation, demand creation, and expansion into new markets.

Half of SMBs have pursued new opportunities because of the time they saved managing security according to Hall.

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