Public Sector Show 2013 - The Results Are Out...

While we were exhibiting at The Public Sector Show in London last month we ran a short survey to gauge interest in cloud services for the public sector.

We questioned a small cross-section of professionals from the public sector on their knowledge of their organisation's data, as well as their opinions and experiences of the CloudStore.

With the G-Cloud framework being relatively new and still quite unknown, it is perhaps unsurprising that 83% of respondents hadn't yet made a purchase from the CloudStore. The stats are promising, however, in their suggestion that an equal number (83%), do intend to make a purchase in the future.

Whilst knowledge of the G-Cloud and CloudStore is currently quite limited, it was the lack of knowledge when it came to data security that was most interesting. Nearly half of respondents admitted they have no idea what level their company's most sensitive data was. This may suggest a need for better communication within organisations, leading to greater clarity at all levels. The Public Sector Show wasn't completely IT focused - there were representatives from lots of different procurement areas but we were based in the G-Cloud zone and the people we surveyed were 'IT people'.

It was encouraging to see that public sector professionals seem to be increasingly aware of the benefits that cloud services can bring to their organisations. At 53%, cost savings appears to be the most desirable benefit that the CloudStore offers, with a wider choice of accredited suppliers coming in at second place with 22%.

Please be aware - our survey had a very small sample size, but the results do support the general tone of the show and what we have been hearing anecdotally for some time now.

Knowledge and acceptance of G-Cloud and cloud services seems to be on the rise, with the benefits becoming more openly recognised.