IDC: Cloud Computing Implementations to Double by 2012

Late last year, the market research group IDC surveyed IT professionals and concluded that 4% of enterprises have already implemented some form of cloud computing, although it's often in the form of software-as-a-service, (SaaS) such as the CRM application, Salesforce.com Inc. .

That number will more than double by 2012, to 9% of enterprises, said Frank Gens, senior VP of IDC as he opened the Cloud Computing Forum in San Francisco Wednesday.

But the impact of cloud computing will far exceed those modest figures, he added. Applications designed to run in the cloud "will represent 25% of the net new growth in IT spending," versus spending for on-premises IT, he predicted. SaaS by itself is projected to nearly double from $9 billion to $17 billion in that time period, Gens said.

Another forum speaker, Joseph Tobolski, director of cloud computing at Accenture's Technology Labs, said in an interview that he thought the figures were too low.

Tobolski pointed out that if he worked at a company with no commitment to cloud computing, it would still be a participant because he backs up his laptop to the Amazon.com Inc.