Two-thirds of businesses using cloud computing are seeing the benefit

Two-thirds of businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, including New Zealand and Australia, which have adopted cloud computing, say they are already reaping the benefits of the system.

A survey by AMD found that 67 per cent of companies which use systems including on demand cloud computing solutions have seen business value already, and more than half (54 per cent) believe they have seen greater efficiency since adopting the cloud.

Finance and accounting were the most commonly used applications, the survey found.

Patrick Patla, vice-president and general manager of server and embedded divisions at AMD, said: "The rise of cloud computing is fundamentally shifting demands on the IT department, but different regions of the world are facing very different cloud challenges."

Research by Microsoft found that many companies in Australia and New Zealand were concerned about adopting cloud computing because of perceived challenges, including cost and data security.

A lot of small businesses reported that they did not see that the system would be relevant for them, but Microsoft Asia-Pacific chief executive Andrew Pickup urged all companies to consider adopting the cloud as it would ease pressure on businesses in the long run.