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While cloud computing has been heralded as the 'manna from the skies' by individuals and enterprises alike, PhoneFactor (News - Alert), a global provider of phone-based multi-factor authentication, has, in a recent survey, indicated why companies are still wary about accepting the concept in toto.

The survey that included more than 300 information technology professionals from a broad spectrum of industry, examined organizations' current use of cloud computing, key drivers that prompted adoption and also looked at the restraining factors that prevented its ubiquitous usage.

According to the survey, almost 73 percent of the respondents claimed that security was the primary barrier to cloud computing adoption, followed by 54 percent, who believed compliance could be an obstacle, and 48 percent spoke of portability or ownership of data being a strong concern.

Speaking of security concerns, only 28 percent indicated that it had never been a deterrent, and 42 percent of the respondents said that security concerns had held the company back from adopting cloud computing. 30 percent wavered and said that they were unsure. 

Even Google (News - Alert) Apps, Amazon Web service and SalesForce.com came in for a lot of flak after being rated only moderately or less secure by at least 74 percent of the respondents.

An overwhelming majority of respondents voiced their concern about possibility of unauthorized access to private data in the cloud, and more than 53 percent said that they were extremely concerned. The inability of respondents to be able to properly evaluate the security of cloud-based systems rankled 89 percent of those surveyed.

If cloud computing was to receive a 'shot in the arm', more than 80 percent of the respondents felt that the security issues needed to be addressed by providing better encryption, multi-factor authentication and intrusion prevention.

Aware (News - Alert) of the benefits of reduced cost, scalability and Rapid Implementation, more than 87 percent of respondents indicated an interest to at least evaluate the use of cloud services.

"Companies are eager to take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing," Steve Dispensa (News - Alert), PhoneFactor CTO and co-founder, said, adding that survey results indicate that only better security

could propel cloud computing forward.

As if in response, Google recently announced that it was adding two-step authentication to Google Apps. The Google authentication solution, like that provided by PhoneFactor, leverages an everyday device - the phone- ideal for cloud applications as it caters to the much touted benefits of scalability and cost savings.

PhoneFactor enables strong out of band security and additional security features like transaction verification and voice biometrics protect against MITM/MITB and other sophisticated attacks. It also supports authentication to applications like Outlook Web Access, remote access VPNs, and Web sites, allowing a single authentication system for all applications regardless of whether they are hosted on-premise or in the cloud. It is also widely deployed to secure online banking logins and transactions.

To learn more about the cloud, visit ITEXPO (News - Alert) West’s Cloud Communications Summit on Oct. 4 – Oct. 6.