Business in the cloud is becoming a reality for local businesses as the range of services increase and the cost of consumption drops. The burning challenge for companies is to figure out which truly add value and which are a nice-to-have.

Peter Searle, CEO of software development provider BBD, says: “Cloud and solutions in the cloud are a reality and very efficient in certain areas. Cloud solutions are attractive to all businesses from a cost perspective, and because the business processes are managed properly by the cloud provider. That packaged solution can still be provided in the business, but needs to integrate into legacy systems. The problems occur when businesses try to shoe-horn that into the cloud solution.”

Searle says the increasing demands from users of software – who are becoming more sophisticated and have a greater understanding of what technology can do – are placing pressure on IT departments to accommodate these needs.