Cloud computing allows users to access data, applications, and services over the Internet rather than hosting and managing them in their physical data centers. It combines the advantages of on-site computing with the cost and scalability of off-site resources. Additionally, because cloud-based services are managed off-site, businesses do not need to invest in I.T. resources to build and manage the necessary Infrastructure. This allows businesses to focus on core operations rather than server maintenance. Finally, cloud-based services are often more secure than local servers, as the hosting provider is responsible for security and encryption, meaning businesses do not need to make the same level of investment in security.
Key Cloud Adoption Statistics in 2023
- 94% of all companies in the world use cloud computing services.
- 96% of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Azure cloud services.
- The global cloud computing market is valued at $619.01 billion in 2023.
- The cloud industry will grow with a CAGR of 14.1% from 2023 to 2030.
- The US is the leading cloud adoption country, accounting for 14% of total IT spending.
- Finland and Sweden have the highest cloud adoption rates of any other European country.
How Many Companies Use Cloud Computing?
94% of all companies globally use some form of cloud computing.
(Source: Zippia, Statista)
Cloud computing is a powerful tool for businesses looking to improve their overall efficiency and speed. From cost reduction to improved customer service, businesses across all industries are reaping the benefits of cloud computing. Last year, 74% of enterprises used cloud hosting such as AWS EC2 or Azure VMs and PaaS solutions, including Heroku or Azure App Service. 92% of companies are now using multi-cloud plans for their work processes. On a daily basis, the average worker uses around 36 cloud-originated solutions. With more than 200 cloud services it is not a surprise that workers will choose the best suited ones. It is expected that by 2026, 45% of all companies IT budgets will be spent on cloud solutions and services.
Top 10 Companies Using Cloud Computing
(Source: Customer Think)
To stream more than 125 mln hours of daily entertainment, Netflix’s AWS infrastructure includes a wide variety of services, such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for computing, Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) for storage, Amazon CloudFront for content delivery, Amazon Elastic Load Balancing for balancing traffic and Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) for databases. The cloud providers for some of the top companies are presented in the table. We can see that AWS and Google Cloud are one of the preferred cloud providers.
| Company | Cloud Provider |
| Netflix | AWS |
| AWS | |
| Coca-Cola | AWS |
| Vivino | AWS |
| Gameloft | AWS |
| Kroger | Microsoft Azure |
| Etsy | Google Cloud |
| eBay | Google Cloud |
| Google Cloud | |
| PayPal | Google Cloud |
General Cloud Adoption Statistics
In 2021, 36% of organizations spent over $12 million a year on public clouds.
(Source: Flexera)
According to Flexera research, 55% of companies’ workloads are predicted to be in a public cloud within 12 months, so it is not surprising that a lot of the companies’ budgets are spent investing in public cloud services.
The Flexera 2022 State of the Cloud Report found that Azure is used by 47% of companies for running significant workloads.
(Source: Info.flexera)
The 2022 State of Cloud report by Flexera reported that Azure, for the first time in 11 years, has surpassed AWS by enterprise usage. Azure is used by 33% of companies for running several workloads, 11% of Azure usage is done to experiment with the cloud provider.
48% of enterprises decided to keep their most essential data in the cloud.
(Source: Zippia)
Due to recent reports, 60% of corporate data in 2022 is now deposited in the cloud. This is because the cloud offers several advantages, such as increased scalability, flexibility, and cost savings. Additionally, the cloud can provide access to data anytime, anywhere, which is critical for businesses that operate in multiple locations. Cloud storage also offers enhanced security features that protect data from theft or other threats.
The worldwide cloud computing market is estimated at $619.01 billion in 2023, up from $483.98 billion in 2022.
(Source: Grand view research)
The report predicted that the global cloud computing market will grow at a CAGR of 14.1% from 2023 to 2030. A.I. and machine learning are playing a crucial role in cloud growth. These technologies allow companies to quickly process large amounts of data, automate specific processes, reduce costs, and improve performance.
Western Europe and the United States make up 82% of the global cloud computing market.
(Source: Cloud zero)
These two regions are dominating the cloud computing market. Both regions have many innovations in technology. Secondly, the U.S. holds the most significant market share and has one of the best vendors like Adobe, Salesforce, Oracle, AWS, Google, and ABM.
Globally, in the cloud, by 2025, 200 Zettabytes will be stored.
(Source: Cybersecurity ventures)
This data can help businesses make decisions, optimize operations, and improve customer experiences. The data can be structured or unstructured and may consist of text, images, audio, video, and other files. It can include data collected from customers, employees, partners, suppliers, competitors, and other sources.
Cloud Adoption By Country
Sweden is the number one country in Europe with 75.4% cloud adoption by companies with 10 or more employees in 2021.
(Source: Eurostat)
Eurostat research for adoption of cloud computing in 2021 of companies with 10 or more workers showed that 41% of E.U. countries used cloud services. In 2020 the percentage of cloud adoption among E.U. companies with 10 or more employees was 36.1%. The table below presents data on the evolution of cloud adoption among European enterprises with 10 or more workers from 2018 to 2021. Countries like Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, and Denmark are the ones that utilize the most cloud computing services in Europe. The smallest percentage of cloud adoption is recorded in Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece.
| Country | 2018 year | 2020 year | 2021 year |
| Sweden | 57.2% | 69.5% | 75.4% |
| Norway | 50.7% | 63.7% | 64% |
| Netherlands | 48.2% | 52.6% | 64.9% |
| Finland | 65.3% | 75.5% | 75.3% |
| Denmark | 55.6% | 66.9% | 64.8% |
| Italy | 22.5% | 59.1% | 60.5% |
| Ireland | 45.2% | 50.9% | 58.8% |
| Belgium | 40.2% | 53.2% | 53% |
| Estonia | 33.9% | 56.3% | 57.5% |
| Malta | 36.5% | 52.2% | 57.1% |
| Cyprus | 26.6% | 34.6% | 50.3% |
| Germany | 22.4% | 33.3% | 41.6% |
| Chezia | 26.5% | 28.9% | 43.8% |
| Slovenia | 26.3% | 38.6% | 42.7% |
| Austria | 23.3% | 38.1% | 40.4% |
| Croatia | 30.7% | 39% | 39.2% |
| Slovakia | 21.1% | 25.6% | 36.1% |
| Portugal | 24.7% | 29% | 34.7% |
| Lithuania | 22.6% | 30.8% | 33.6% |
| Luxemburg | 24.5% | 29.1% | 33.5% |
| Spain | 22% | 26.2% | 30.9% |
| Latvia | 14.5% | 21.3% | 28.5% |
| France | 19.4% | 26.9% | 29.4% |
| Poland | 11.5% | 24.4% | 28.7% |
| Hungary | 18% | 25.2% | 26.4% |
| Greece | 12.8% | 16.7% | 22.4% |
| Romania | 10.3% | 15.7% | 14.1% |
| Bulgaria | 8.3% | 10.9% | 12.8% |
94% of enterprise infrastructure decision-makers in the U.S. use some cloud computing services.
(Source: Forrester)
The leading country in the world for adopting and using cloud computing services and solutions is the U.S. Most businesses use hybrid or multi-cloud.
88% of enterprise infrastructure decision-makers in Canada have adopted cloud computing services.
(Source: Forrester)
57% of Canadian decision-makers in organizations, state that modernization will be a top IT priority for them in the next 12 months.
Cloud service integrators and managed service providers provide expertise, knowledge, and support in cloud security, cost optimization, migration, and cloud-native application development.
The U.S. has taken a more proactive approach to cloud adoption and investment, which is why cloud adoption for all other countries worldwide will linger by 1 to more than 7 years.
(Source: Gartner)
According to Gartner’s research, the countries are divided into three types by adopting cloud computing: tracking, lagging, and resisting. The tracking countries, according to Gartner, are falling behind the U.S. by around three years in cloud adoption and implantation. The lagging countries are falling behind the U.S. by four or more years, and the resisting countries are falling behind the U.S. by seven or more years. In the table below is Garner’s research on the positioning of some countries of cloud adaptation compared to the U.S.
- Tracking countries: United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, Australia, and Poland.
- Lagging countries: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Korea, China, India, Russia, Turkey, and Mexico.
- Resisting countries: Argentina, Japan, and Indonesia.
Cloud Adoption By Industry
O’Reilly’s cloud adoption survey from 2021 revealed that the Retail industry has the highest cloud usage – 96.9%.
(Source: O’Reilly)
The most cloud-friendly industries were Retail, Media and entertainment, Finance and banking, and Software. The most aversive one to cloud implementation was the Electronics and hardware industry.
| Industry | Percentage |
| Retail | 96.9%. |
| Media and entertainment | 94.9% |
| Finance and banking | 92.8% |
| Software | 92.5% |
| Telecommunication | 80%+ |
| Higher education | 80%+ |
| Computers | 80%+ |
| Healthcare | 80%+ |
| Consulting | 80%+ |
| Other | 80%+ |
| Government | 80%+ |
| Electronics, hardware | 70%+ |
Unitrends 2018 annual survey revealed that cloud adoption was the highest – 68% in the Technology Industry.
(Source: Unitrends)
The survey had more than 800 respondents from companies of all sizes. The survey responses showed that cloud adoption varies significantly by industry, with some industries having higher adoption rates than others.
| Industry | Cloud Usage |
| Technology | 68% |
| Other | 68% |
| Medical | 64% |
| Manufacturing | 59% |
| Government | 59% |
| Education | 54% |
| Finance/Legal | 49% |
Cloud Computing for Business
90% of big companies have endorsed a multi-cloud system.
(Source: Hashicorp)
The most common reasons for implementing multi-cloud strategies included cost savings, increased scalability and flexibility, improved utilization of resources, and improved security and disaster recovery. The primary challenges of multi-cloud strategies included complexity in managing multiple cloud vendors, lack of visibility into costs, and the need for standardization and interoperability.
94% of enterprises are misspending money in the cloud.
(Source: Hashicorp)
Organizations must first understand their usage patterns to prevent cloud overspending and establish clear cost optimization strategies. Cloud providers offer tools and services to help organizations identify cost drivers and manage cloud spending. They can also leverage third-party cloud management tools to get insights into their usage, pricing, and optimization opportunities. Finally, organizations should ensure they have the right skills to manage and optimize their cloud environment effectively.
76% of the Flexera State of the Cloud Report respondents answered that they are using multiple public clouds, and 56% answered using several private clouds.
(Source: Flexera)
43% of enterprises use a mix of private and public clouds, and 33% use multiple public and one private cloud.
59% of enterprises intend to focus on cloud migration.
(Source: Flexera)
The report states that the main driver for cloud migration is cost savings, followed by scalability, agility, and improved performance. In addition, most organizations have identified a lack of internal I.T. resources as a primary challenge.
Over 85% of companies will adopt a cloud-first strategy by 2025.
(Source: Gartner)
This will increase reliance on cloud-based applications and services, such as SaaS, containerization, and serverless computing. Organizations must also rethink how they use data to drive new insights and create better customer experiences.
Cloud Spending Statistics
The global end-user spending on public cloud solutions is projected to reach $591.8 billion in 2023.
(Source: Gartner)
According to Gartner, end-user spending on public cloud solutions is expected to grow 20.7% in 2023, much higher than the 18.8% forecast for 2022.
Forecast of End-user Spending on Public Cloud Services Around the World
(in million U.S. dollars)
| Cloud Services | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Cloud Business Process Services | 54,952 | 60,127 | 65,145 |
| Cloud Application Infrastructure Services | 89,910 | 110,677 | 136,408 |
| Cloud Application Services | 146,326 | 167,107 | 195,208 |
| Cloud Management and Security Services | 28,489 | 34,143 | 41,675 |
| Cloud System Infrastructure Services | 90,894 | 115,740 | 150,254 |
| Desktop-as-a-Service | 2,059 | 2,539 | 3,104 |
| Market in total | 412,632 | 490,333 | 591,794 |
Infrastructure-as-a-service is expected to grow faster, reaching an end-user spending growth of 29.8% in 2023.
(Source: Gartner)
IaaS is a form of cloud computing that provides virtualized computing resources over the Internet. IaaS provides organizations an alternative to traditional I.T. infrastructures, such as physical servers, storage, and networking hardware. Instead, IaaS enables organizations to access these resources on-demand over the Internet from a cloud provider, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform (GCP). IaaS provides various benefits, including scalability, cost savings, improved security, and access to the latest technologies.
Software as a Service is the most significant revenue contributor to the global public cloud computing market, with a forecasted market volume of $213.90bn in 2022.
(Source: Statista)
This segment was estimated at $146 billion in 2021. Other segments expected to experience strong growth include Infrastructure as a Service and Platform as a Service.
The revenue for the public cloud market is supposed to research $881.80bn by 2027.
(Source: Statista)
The expected CAGR per year for the predicted period to 2027 is 16.27%.
This growth rate is based on various factors, including the increasing adoption of connected devices, the swift development of digital payment technologies, and the rising demand for online retail and eCommerce services.
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is the most significant contributor in North America’s public cloud computing market, with predicted revenue of $124.9 billion for 2022.
(Source: Statista)
Data in the table is spread out by cloud segment revenue retrospectively and with future predictions. The determined period is from 2020-2026. We can see from the numbers that SaaS is the most significant contributor to revenue for North America’s public cloud computing market size.
| Cloud Segment | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2024 | 2026 |
| Infrastructure as a service | 28.73 billion | 39.12 billion | 51.86 billion | 86.84 billion | 122.20 billion |
| Platform as a service | 25.76 billion | 35.37 billion | 46.13 billion | 72.93 billion | 93.88 billion |
| Software as a service | 95.19 billion | 110.90 billion | 124.90 billion | 152.90 billion | 170.00 billion |
Cloud Cost Savings Statistics
49% of the 2022 State Of Cloud Cost Intelligence Report respondents thought that cloud costs are much more expensive than they should be.
(Source: Cloud zero)
The report suggests that organizations are increasingly aware of the need to manage their cloud costs but still have difficulty understanding their costs and finding ways to reduce them.
Merely 30% of enterprises responded that they knew how their cloud budget is spent.
(Source: Cloud zero)
This indicates that most organizations need more visibility into their cloud spending and may be overspending or wasting money on unnecessary cloud services. Knowing where cloud budgets are being spent is essential for ensuring cost-effectiveness and efficiency in cloud usage.
67% of companies revealed that cloud financial management (CFM) had enabled the increase in revenue.
(Source: g2.com)
The benefits of CFM are numerous and wide-ranging. By automating processes and providing real-time insights, CFM can enable businesses to become more agile, make faster and more informed decisions, and save time and money. It can also provide better visibility into financial performance, allowing businesses to identify areas of improvement and opportunities to increase profitability more quickly.
93% of organizations have a procedure to predict cloud expenditures.
(Source: g2.com)
This shows that cloud computing is becoming more widespread and that companies are taking the time to plan and budget for cloud costs.
94% of surveyed I.T. professionals stated that the cloud would lessen setup and maintenance costs.
(Source: TechRepublic)
These results suggest that respondents see the cloud as a way to reduce costs while increasing storage capacity. This indicates that the cloud is an effective and cost-efficient way to manage I.T. resources.
Cloud Security Statistics
27% of enterprises have experienced a security escapade in their public cloud framework within the last 12 months.
(Source: Checkpoint)
The survey also revealed that the most common security concerns for organizations using cloud services were the lack of visibility and control over data in the cloud, followed by data breaches and compliance requirements. 23%were caused by security missteps in cloud groundwork. Other significant contributors to cloud breaches incorporated improper data sharing (15%), compromised accounts (15%), and vulnerability exploitation (14%).
42% of organizations brawl with data privacy and security.
(Source: Expert insights)
Data privacy and security is the top concern among I.T. decision makers, with 42% of respondents citing it as their biggest challenge. This is unsurprising given the increasingly stringent regulations around data privacy and the hefty fines companies can face for failing to protect personal information.
69% of respondents stated that one of the top threats for organizations is losing data and leakage.
(Source: Expert insights)
66% are concerned about private and confidential information, and 44% are concerned about the coincidental uncovering of credentials.
93% of enterprises are troubled about human mistakes by the accidental revelation of data.
(Source: Expert insights)
When it comes to data, organizations are always worried about human error. Unfortunately, there are many ways that people can make mistakes that can lead to data exposure. This can include not properly guarding data, not ensuring that data is adequately encrypted, and not correctly verifying the authenticity of data.
57% of enterprises are struggling to correctly secure data in multi-cloud infrastructures by corporate laws and regulations.
(Source: Checkpoint)
The challenge of adequately protecting data in multi-cloud environments is a complex one. Organizations must ensure that data is appropriately secured and compliant with industry regulations while ensuring that the cloud infrastructure is optimized for performance and scalability. Organizations must implement a comprehensive security strategy to protect data in multi-cloud environments, including encryption, access controls, identity and access management, and incident response.
Cloud Adoption Trends
By 2023, 94% of large companies, 84% of mid-sized companies, and 79% of small companies will have adopted the multi-cloud Infrastructure.
(Source: Statista)
Compared to 2021, the most significant trend of multi-cloud adoption has been for small companies, where there is an expected increase of 19% in 2023.
A multi-cloud strategy involves businesses leveraging multiple cloud vendors and technologies to optimize their cloud environment.
Global Cloud Storage Market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 26.2 percent from 2021 to 2028.
(Source: Cloud wards)
The global cloud storage market will amount to $390 billion by 2028. Several factors are driving this growth. One of them is the increase in large data sets.
The increase in large data sets is driving the demand for more file storage. Cloud storage services provide an attractive solution for businesses and individuals, as they offer a secure and reliable way to store large amounts of data.
PaaS will earn $164.3 billion by 2026.
(Source: Tech target)
The increasing popularity of cloud computing, the demand for scalability and cost savings, and the need for automated solutions are some key factors driving the growth of the PaaS market. Additionally, the increasing demand for mobile applications, the rising adoption of digital transformation, and the growing demand for integration services are also some factors driving the PaaS market growth.
Conclusion
Cloud computing enables businesses to access data and applications remotely over the Internet, allowing them to reduce their reliance on local servers and hardware. This can help companies save money by reducing the need for expensive hardware and software and reducing the time and resources needed to manage, maintain, and update the systems. Additionally, cloud computing allows companies to quickly and easily scale up or down their resources depending on their current needs, which can be beneficial during times of high demand. Other countries are catching up with the U.S., and there is a significant development in the E.U. countries concerning new technologies and the adaptation of cloud solutions among European companies. It is expected that the cloud will continue to offer new opportunities for businesses and individuals and better security and privacy measures.
FAQ’s
What percent of companies use cloud services?
Statista research of 2021 shows that 74% of businesses have used cloud hosting/infrastructure services. Cloud hosting/infrastructure services are becoming increasingly popular among enterprises as they provide a wide range of benefits, including scalability, reliability, cost savings, and flexibility. Cloud hosting/infrastructure services allow organizations to store, manage, and access data, applications, and other resources on remote servers hosted in the cloud. This type of hosting can help organizations save money on I.T. costs, reduce their environmental footprint, and gain access to more powerful computing resources. Cloud hosting/infrastructure services can provide organizations with improved security, data backup, and disaster recovery capabilities.
Do big companies use cloud computing?
Many big companies use cloud computing, such as Netflix, Pinterest, Coca-Cola, Vivino, Kroger, Etsy, Gameloft, eBay, Twitter, and others.
Additionally, cloud technology is enabling businesses to become more agile and efficient.
For example, cloud-based software systems enable companies to quickly deploy new applications and services without significant investments in hardware or other Infrastructure. This agility allows businesses to respond quickly to customer demands and market changes, giving them a competitive edge.
Moreover, cloud technology provides improved data security as data is stored in multiple, secure locations. This means that companies can rest assured that their data is safe and secure, even in an attack or other data loss.
Which industry uses the cloud the most?
Almost all industries benefit from the use of cloud computing. However, some of them have used them more than others. Here are the top three industries that have many benefits from cloud computing. 96.9% of cloud usage was noticed in the Retail industry. More than 80% of cloud usage was recorded in the Media and entertainment industry and Finance and banking industry.
The manufacturing industry is one of the industries that utilize a lot of cloud computing. Predictive maintenance provides manufacturers with an effective way to identify potential problems before they happen, which enables them to reduce downtime, prevent equipment failure, and improve operational efficiency. The logistics and Supply Chain industry applies cloud computing, which allows firms to manage their logistics and supply chain operations better, store, process, and analyze data in real time. The Automotive industry uses the cloud because it can provide scalable computing resources, storage and databases, and access to AI-based tools such as machine learning and deep learning algorithms.
