The survey also revealed that IT organizations may not be adequately prepared for the move to the cloud, as almost 70 per cent of the respondents said their IT staffers are not ready at this time.

The '2011 State of Cloud Survey' examined how organizations are adopting cloud computing and dealing with the changes it can impose on their approach to managing IT.

“The survey findings highlight what we hear from our interactions with customers here. They are interested in what the cloud has to offer yet, when it comes to implementation, they are hesitant, primarily due to concerns over security of their information,” said Ajay Goel, managing director (India and SAARC), Symantec.

“The only way they can make this move successful is when they have the same visibility and control of their information and applications, whether in the cloud or within their own infrastructure.”

The survey focused on various forms of cloud computing, including Public and Private Software-as-a-Service, Hybrid Infrastructure or Platform-as-Service, as well as Public and Private Infrastructure or Platform-as-a-Service.

Security - both a concern and a goal

According to the survey, Indian organizations are conflicted about security – rating it both as a top goal and as a top concern with moving to the cloud. Eighty-seven per cent of respondents are confident that moving to the cloud will not impact or will actually improve their security.

However, achieving security for cloud environments is also a top concern for these organizations, which cited potential risks including mass malware outbreak, hacker-based theft and loss of confidential data.

Lack of skilled IT staff

Despite a great deal of consideration, many organizations claimed that they are not ready to adopt the cloud. The minority of respondents (between 16 and 24 per cent) rated their staff as extremely prepared for the transition to cloud. Almost 70 per cent of the respondents said their IT staff is not ready at this time.

One of the main reasons for this readiness shortfall is lack of experience, as just one-third have cloud experience.

As a result, most organizations are currently turning to outside resources for help. In fact, when deploying hybrid infrastructure or platform-as-a-service, about 75 per cent respondents said they are turning to systems integrators, value added resellers (VARs), independent consultants, vendor professional services organizations.