Lack of awareness is a key barrier to Cloud usage

The key concern for SMBs when it comes to the Cloud seems to be a lack of Cloud knowledge.

This is according to a recent MYOB national study, titled MYOB Business Monitor, which found it to be a key barrier to Cloud usage for almost half of the 79 per cent of small and medium business managers who said they do not use it.

The safety and security of data in the Cloud was also found to be a concern among the same proportion.

MYOB CEO, Tim Reed, says this is due to most SMB business owners "wearing many hats," where they are often the expert of diverse areas such as marketing, sales, financial management and IT.

"Our research shows one in four SMBs feel they don't know enough about the issues surrounding Cloud computing to make the right business decisions, and one in six lack the confidence to explore it," he said.

"Perhaps just as concerning is that one in five are interested but say there are other more important business priorities to take care of first."

While the Cloud has been has helped to change businesses in recent years, Reed points out that there are still concerns around security of business data in the Cloud,

"They are understandable when they come from fear of the unknown, and research into the credibility of cloud providers is essential," he said.

He adds there is "plenty of helpful information, resources and support" to help people make more informed business decisions, and as technologies becomes even more commonplace, this is expected only to increase.

Some of MYOB's tips for SMBs in regards to Cloud computing consists of researching trustworthy Cloud service providers, and reviewing benefits and considerations of different Cloud models.

Other advice includes prioritising security, reading the fine print, and evaluating own IT processes and systems.