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Over half of UK SMBs to replace IT infrastructure in next 12 months; End of Windows Server 2003 will drive a new wave of opportunity for cloud services(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) London, UK - - According to results from the annual Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) report into cloud adoption, 53% of small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) are currently running a Windows Server 2003 operating system. On 14th July 2015, one year today, Microsoft will be ending its extended support period for the operating system, meaning there will be no further patches, updates or fixes. The report, in its fifth year, polled 250 senior IT and business decision-makers; 153 of which were from businesses with fewer than 200 employees. The research found that for 69% of SMBs, infrastructure refresh is seen as a key consideration in adoption of cloud. Whilst cloud adoption amongst SMBs has risen to 75%, the research found that a hybrid model of cloud services mixed with on-premise IT has become the preference. 86% of SMB respondents don't currently use an entirely cloud-based IT strategy and 47% claimed to only be using one cloud based service at present. "SMBs are clearly already favouring a hybrid approach. Our view is that 9 out of 10 companies will continue to invest in on-premise IT alongside and integrated with remote cloud solutions" said Nick East, CEO of Zynstra, the pioneers in cloud managed server appliances, who champion the need for hybrid cloud for SMBs. "Businesses can use the opportunity of infrastructure refresh to deliver better value from their IT estate. Those with Windows 2003 server still running should act soon to ensure a smooth transition before support ends." NOTES TO EDITORS Methodology In April 2014 Vanson Bourne conducted the fifth annual body of research on behalf of CIF to determine the level of Cloud adoption among participants and to gain insights into attitudes, experiences and trends across the UK end user community. The research polled 250 senior IT and business decision-makers in enterprises, small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and public sector organisations. Of the 250 end user organisations questioned, 15 per cent came from the IT and technology sector, 10 per cent from business and professional services, 12 per cent manufacturing,?6 per cent financial services and 10 per cent from retail and logistics. A further 28 per cent comprised of public sector organisations ranging from central and local government, education and healthcare. About Zynstra: Zynstra is a provider of cloud managed server appliances that enable SMBs to benefit from the security and performance of local IT combined with the economics and ease of the cloud. Headquartered in Bath, UK, Zynstra has developed patent-pending technology that gives SMBs hassle-free, enterprise-level IT with built-in reliability they can afford. Zynstra is backed by Octopus Investments, one of the UK's leading investors in fast growth companies that can scale explosively to create, transform or dominate an industry. About the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) The Cloud Industry Forum (CIF) was established in direct response to the evolving supply models for the delivery of software and IT services that has expanded well beyond the traditional on-premise method to one that now embraces hosted and/or, pay-as-you-use Cloud solutions. CIF's purpose is twofold: To drive a common and public level of transparency about the capability, substance and best practices of online Service Providers (SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, Web hosting providers etc.) through a process of self-certification to a Code of Practice. Second, this Code of Practice, and the use of the related Certification Mark on participant's web sites, provides comfort and promotes trust to businesses and individuals wishing to leverage the commercial, financial and agile operations capabilities that the Cloud based and hosted solutions can offer. CIF is ensuring the integrity and governance of the self-certification process through regular random audits as well as investigating complaints from parties that challenge any specific participants self-certification status. Visit the website at: http://www.cloudindustryforum.org/ . (c) 2014 M2 COMMUNICATIONS |