Businesses stand to save more than US$1-trillion per year by outsourcing their IT to remote “cloud” computing providers by 2015, says a Microsoft Corp. study, allowing them to spend more on new hires.

“Efficiencies gained from cloud are applied to innovation broadly (not just IT), such as hiring more sales, finance, production, marketing people and more,” reads an excerpt from the study, conducted by International Data Corp. on behalf of the world’s largest software firm.

“In this way, cloud computing differs from traditional outsourcing.”

Nearly 14 million new jobs will be created around the world by 2015 as a result of growing cloud computing adoption, the study found. Canada in particular can look forward to cutting itself a very large slice of that economic pie.

Canadian businesses have been adopting cloud computing services at a rapidly accelerating rate in recent years and the IDC data found North America at large was leading the world in cloud adoption rates. Nearly 36,000 new jobs will be created in Canada as a result of could computing by the end of this year, the study said.

By the end of 2015, Microsoft expects that figure to double beyond 70,000.

Projected levels of IT spending, relative degrees of automation and workforce size were among the factors IDC used to determine its results. The researchers created a sophisticated economic impact model to determine “a little money spent up front to reach for the cloud leads to impressive returns down the line.”

So as the debate over widespread cloud adoption rages on, it appears the pro-cloud cost-savings argument may soon have millions of new supporters.

Source: Edmonton Journal