IT consortium the Open Group, consisting of suppliers, users and academics, view cloud computing as a vital technology for SME development, however there is widespread confusion among small and medium sized enterprises surrounding implementation.

There is a lack of best practices in implementing cloud services and in choosing the best service provider.

The director of the Open Group’s cloud working group, Chris Harding, commented that “Cloud computing allows you to do things more quickly without having specialist skills in house. And it costs you less”.