1 In 5 Aussies think stormy weather affects cloud computing

A news release just in from Servers Australia suggests Australians are still confused about cloud computing. While the notion of cloud computing (Wikipedia) has been around for decades, its use in the context of on-demand access to computer resources is around 20 years old, but it clearly has yet to be commonly understood.

Using Google consumer surveys, Servers Australia surveyed 1,000 Aussies, 1,000 Brits and 1,000 Americans on their knowledge of cloud computing. While 1 in 10 from the UK and America said stormy weather could have an impact on cloud computing, the figure doubled for Australians – with 22% saying they were sure it would have an effect. A further 1 in 5 (20%) said they didn’t know.

Jared Hirst, CEO, from Servers Australia said:

“A few years ago cloud computing was a relatively new term to us all and few understood what it was all about. Now, however, it plays a pretty big part of our lives. From smartphones to email and, from shopping to social networking – most of us use some form of cloud computing in our day-to-day lives.

“But, although most of us use the cloud, our survey data suggests that many people don’t even realise they’re doing so and that the terminology is still confusing us. Embarrassingly, Aussies seem to be even more clueless than our American and British counterparts – with twice as many locals thinking the weather could gum up the works!

“It’s important that people get to grips with this technology so they can ensure they’re acting safely, responsibly and securely online.”

Though more Australians felt sure that storms could wreak havoc on cloud based computing, Americans showed themselves to be more confused – with almost half (42%) saying they didn’t know. A third of Britons (35%) weren’t too sure either.

One hopes that understanding of cloud computing is more advanced among professional audiences than among the general population. The first construction collaboration software-as-a-Service vendors – including Australia’s Aconex – worked hard to educate the market about the concept of remotely hosted software and data (before it was called SaaS, it was application service provision). Resistance to the concept initially eroded gradually, but has diminished significantly in recent years as online storage services such as DropBox, and use of mobile devices accessing cloud-based applications via 4G or wifi, have become popular.