The perplexing findings of a new Citrix “Cloud Survey” show a considerable amount of confusion in the tech space today with regard to a majority of mobile users’ understand of cloud computing and related cloud services.
The survey of more than 1,000 American adults, which was conducted in August 2012 by Wakefield Research, shows that many people remain “foggy” about what the cloud really is and how it works.
The survey indicates that most respondents believe the cloud is related to weather, while some referred to pillows, drugs and toilet paper.
Go ahead. Read that last sentence again… yes, you read it correctly the first time.
51 percent of respondents, including a majority of Millennials, believe stormy weather can interfere with cloud computing.
What’s more, nearly one third see the cloud as a thing of the future, yet 97 percent are actually using cloud services today via online shopping, banking, social networking and file sharing.
Despite this confusion, three in five (59 percent) believe the “workplace of the future” will exist entirely in the cloud.
“This survey clearly shows that the cloud phenomenon is taking root in our mainstream culture, yet there is still a wide gap between the perceptions and realities of cloud computing,” said Kim DeCarlis, vice president of corporate marketing at Citrix. “While significant market changes like this take time, the transition from the PC era to the cloud era is happening at a remarkable pace. The most important takeaway from this survey is that the cloud is viewed favorably by the majority of Americans, and when people learn more about the cloud they understand it can vastly improve the balance between their work and personal lives.”
