KPMG Study: The Golden Twenties of Cloud Computing

63 percent of companies in Austria work in the cloud.

Vienna, June 24, 2021 (OTS) –

• 86 percent of those surveyed agree that the cloud makes a large to very significant contribution to the digitization of their companies.
• About three in four (73 percent) companies have a cloud transformation strategy.
• Half of the companies (51 percent) want to run the majority of productivity applications from the cloud in 2025.

Cloud computing is booming:
The results of this year’s KPMG study “Cloud Monitor” show that there is hardly any company with 20 or more employees who is not at least interested in using cloud computing. The survey of 251 companies in Austria was conducted for the second time and again conducted in cooperation with Bitkom Research Group.

Significant increase in cloud usage
“The coronavirus pandemic has given cloud usage a huge boost. During this time, many companies have preferred their cloud projects to go into production as quickly as possible,” says Michael Schermbrandt, KPMG Partner and Head of Studies.

While only 47 percent used a cloud solution last year, 63 percent of those surveyed now report that they have integrated cloud computing — an increase of 16 percentage points within one year. In comparison, 82% of companies in Germany use the cloud. “Even if the development progress here is slower than in Germany, the use of the cloud has also proven itself in Austrian companies. The question of whether to use cloud computing is no longer discussed, but rather how the transition to a secure cloud-based company can occur. ‘ Sherbrandt added.

Thirty percent of those surveyed plan to integrate cloud computing and seven percent say they are not planning any use.

Cloud computing as an engine for digitization
A clear picture emerges when it comes to digitization via the cloud: All respondents mentioned that cloud solutions contribute to digitization. 86% rated this development as large to very large, which is an increase of five percentage points over the previous year. “It is important, especially for companies that have now moved their business processes and procedures to the cloud in a short time, that the cloud strategy aligns with the digital strategy. Cloud computing should not be seen as a solution in a crisis journal, but in its function as an element of digitization in the company,” he says. Christian Froehworth, Director of KPMG.

The local results are almost identical to the data from German companies. In Germany, 88 percent of those surveyed said that cloud computing boosts their number.

With the right strategy in the cloud
Three quarters (73 percent) of Austrian companies have a cloud transformation strategy, while every five companies (21 percent) state that using cloud computing in their company does not depend on a specific strategy. Different approaches vary: Almost every third user (30 percent) relies on a cloud-first strategy, which favors cloud computing for new IT projects. 37 percent are also following a cloud strategy where existing systems and applications are sometimes complemented by cloud computing, but not replaced. The so-called cloud-only strategy, in which all systems and applications migrate to the cloud in the medium to long term, is pursued at only five percent. Additionally, it can be seen that companies with more than 250 employees (56 percent) rely more on a cloud-first strategy than small businesses.

Regarding the different approaches, KPMG Director and Cloud Expert Wolfgang Schramm says: “There is no better way to proceed. We definitely recommend the introduction of a so-called Cloud Center of Excellence, which is a kind of core team for cloud computing. Because for safe, long-term use, specialists from Several departments such as IT Security, Compliance or Operations Management.”

A look at the year 2025
Every second company (51 percent) in Austria assumes that in 2025, on average, they will have a little more than half of their productivity applications in the cloud. Michael Schirmbrand draws the following conclusion from the results of this year’s study: “Over the years, cloud computing will convince companies of themselves and at the same time direct their way more and more towards the company’s IT infrastructure. For the cloud ecosystem, the golden twenties are imminent.”

More results at a glance:

• 53 percent of Austrian companies with 20 or more employees have reported unauthorized use of public cloud services in the past 12 months.
• Nearly half (46 percent) of those surveyed have experienced downtime with their cloud solutions.
• Office, Collaboration, and Customer Management (CRM) solutions are the most widely used cloud applications.
• Security and compliance requirements and a shortage of skilled workers are the greatest challenges when starting out in the public cloud.

More information at: https://bit.ly/3vSVWoi

Inquiries and contact:

KPMG Austria GmbH
mag. Gozde Yaylali, BA
communications companies
0043 (1) 313 32-3014
Jilali@kpmg.at