Unauthorised cloud uptake worries IT directors

The low cost, speed and ease with which cloud-based services can be installed by staff is a worry to 67 per cent of UK IT directors, according to research commissioned by open source IT monitoring software provider Opsview.

James Peel, product manager at Opsview, said: "Cloud services are incredibly easy to access and can provide multiple benefits to individual users.

"However, by not controlling the adoption of cloud services, businesses risk spiralling costs," he said.

"For example, businesses could be hit with unexpected costs as non-IT staff simply pay for services via their credit card before charging it back to the business.

"Unless the IT department has visibility into the cloud services being used by employees, it is very difficult to keep track of what is being spent at any one time, since users are not going through traditional IT procurement channels."

The research revealed that 57 per cent of IT directors were worried about these rising costs.

More than three quarters of organisations admitted that employees are likely to defy IT policy to make use of cloud services.

In addition, lack of transparency was cited as an issue by three quarters of organisations who want more information around the service level agreements provided by cloud providers.

"Businesses need to get greater visibility of cloud-based services by using tools that provide a unified view of what is being used across the business. They also need to ensure they have a view of real-time performance and that the tools being used provide service level reporting," said Peel.

The study surveyed 200 IT directors at UK organisations with more than 1,000 employees and was conducted by independent research company Vanson Bourne.