Cloud services look to SME sector for investment

The SME sector in the UK is set to drive growth in cloud services, according to research from cloud services provider BCSG (Business Centric Services Group).

Research from Business Centric Services Group (BCSG) revealed that 72 per cent of SMEs have plans to embrace the cloud by 2017, adding to the numerous businesses that already have cloud services in use.

This indicates that businesses are realising the potential that the cloud offers in terms of time-saving and the ability to access files regardless of location.

Number of cloud solutions used by SMEs expected to more than double

In the next few years, SME’s are expected to use an average of seven cloud solutions, compared to the current figure of three services.

Analysts estimate this could push the value of the cloud market up to £235 billion by 2017, according to Gartner, and experts believe that half of the spending on cloud services could come from SMEs.

SME’s using cloud services to increase their efficiency

John Davis, managing director at BCSG, said: “SMEs have turned to cloud applications to help them to remain healthy and compete effectively with bigger companies.”

“Support and enthusiasm for cloud is already strong, as our research shows, but over the next three years it’s likely we’ll see SMEs using a wider variety of apps and solutions as cloud progresses from an early adopter phase to a mainstream solution,” he added.