The use of cloud-based IT solutions is growing with immense speed in our personal life as well as within businesses and organisations. This is inevitable. We use file-sharing systems and collaborative tools, we back up our data or images in the cloud, and most of our mobile devices are syncing automatically unless we decide otherwise. But how much do you trust these systems? And how much should businesses trust the cloud?

The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted an interesting global study, sponsored by Google, to understand the correlation between trust in cloud technology and business performance. Here are some of their findings.

The more you trust your cloud, the more you profit from it

It turns out that while 99% of the respondents in the survey use some type of cloud service, only 16% say that trust in the cloud is very high within their organisation. Respondents who say their organisation has higher trust in the cloud also report much better outcomes on both non-financial and financial success metrics—including revenue, profit and share price growth.

So, apparently, trust in cloud technology has an important and positive effect on business outcomes. This should not be a surprise, as cloud solutions bring savings to organisations when moving from a CapEx- to an OpEx-based model where your provider needs to cope with your demands and you don’t need to maintain any servers, firewalls or actually have space for them on your sites. Cloud also makes collaboration easy for employees – think about Office 365, Skype for Business, Google Cloud or Hangouts, just to name a few. These tools can simplify business processes, improve ways of communication and help productivity.

Raise digital trust within your organisation with these simple steps

For leaders to understand what they are investing in and how this transforms their business, and for employees to exploit the most from cloud-based solutions, understanding and security is key. Businesses need to make sure they:

1. Invest time in the cloud – Demystify cloud by understanding how cloud solutions work, what the building blocks are, and use a trusted partner who can advise you on the right type of cloud you need for your business needs.
2. Invest in security – Major service failures and cyber attacks are the biggest fears of truly digital business. You can be one step ahead if you invest in a secure solution and keep your data in secure data centres, even within the country if you have regulations to comply with, and build additional security layers as needed.
3. Invest in educating employees – Make sure your employees understand how your cloud-based applications work and let them explore how to use them so they can exploit the full potential and create unseen efficiencies.

Here is how Vodacom can help to build your digital trust

The cloud is only as good as the network it is connected to. We connect you to the best. You need to know your data is secure wherever it goes and our cloud and connectivity services come with security built in. We secure the cloud and the network.

If you need more information, you can add additional layers of security around your cloud and hosting solutions. Read about our Cloud and Hosting services.