MORE large companies in the Asia-Pacific are adopting cloud computing, compared to smaller firms, according to survey findings released yesterday.

Cloud computing is the delivery of computer services and applications over networks. The networks, including the Internet, are called the cloud.

The survey, by Singapore- based Springboard Research and sponsored by California- based cloud-computing giant VMware, showed that 39 per cent of firms in the region, with 10,000 workers or more, have adopted cloud computing.

This is higher than the 20 per cent of smaller firms, with 100 to 999 staff, that have done so.

Mr Michael Barnes, vice-president for software and Asia-Pacific research at Springboard, said the trend is seen among firms here, too.

About 7,000 respondents from firms across seven Asia-Pacific countries, including Singapore, were polled in September.

The finding seems contrary to a belief that large firms are slower at adopting cloud computing.

The Washington Post reported in July that industry players believe this is so because large firms have security concerns, and are less willing to relinquish their information-technology systems.

Mr Barnes said that many large firms have been interested in certain public aspects of cloud computing for years.

But, in recent times, they have began to look into "evolving and improving their internal data centres" through cloud computing. This is an area smaller firms have not focused on, which would explain the survey findings, he said.

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