The second annual report from Intel Security shows that German companies are investing heavily in cloud usage. According to the report, 94% of German respondents already use cloud services. Although acceptance is increasing, not all security concerns have been eradicated, as almost half of German respondents believe that they have already traced security incidents back to content from cloud-based applications.

Which type of cloud?

German companies trust the private cloud the most - 88% would entrust it with sensitive data. However, the public cloud is also slowly shedding its reputation as an insecurity factor: according to the study, 63% of German companies now trust that their data is secure here - last year it was only 49%. Nevertheless, it is important to sensitize employees to the topic of security and to train them in security issues. More than half of the Germans surveyed stated that a lack of security knowledge had already restricted the introduction of the cloud in their company in the past.

Last year, the private cloud was still the most frequently used model in German companies at 54%. This year, only 14% are still using it alone. The hybrid cloud model has increased significantly in popularity and is in the lead with 65%.

Software-as-a-Service remains the growth driver

The most frequently used cloud service is Software-as-a-Service (61%), followed by Infrastructure-as-a-Service (51%) and Platform-as-a-Service (32%). According to Intel Security, these three services will continue to receive the most investment in the future. German companies have the greatest concerns when dealing with the private cloud not in relation to impediments to work processes, but in relation to security issues. 36% fear problems with identity and access management, followed by advanced targeted attacks and advanced persistent attacks (32%).

2,000 IT decision-makers worldwide took part in the survey conducted by Vanson Bourne.