SMBs Embrace the Cloud as a Path to Business Agility and a Gateway to New Technologies

SMBs Embrace the Cloud as a Path to Business Agility and a Gateway to New Technologies Highlights from the 2022 Frost & Sullivan Global Cloud User Survey

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are hastening to the cloud. Similar to their large counterparts, they are transforming to a digital-first business, with the cloud as a foundation. According to Frost & Sullivan's 2022 global cloud user survey, 78% of SMBs use public cloud for at least some of their business applications and data. This represents a 56% increase from the 2019 survey, taken just before the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic. SMBs consider the cloud an essential technology to deliver greater business agility, app performance, and security than they could achieve on their own. Nearly 40% of respondents consider the cloud a gateway to advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, SMBs have only a few technical experts on staff; nearly half say they struggle to keep up with new technologies, with more than a third saying they have insufficient expertise on staff to support digitalization. 73% of SMBs say they have engaged a third-party partner to assist with their digital strategies. In this research service, Frost & Sullivan presents perspectives from SMB cloud decision-makers, based on results from the company's 2022 global cloud user survey.


  • Research Objectives and Methodology
    • Respondent Profile—SMBs
  • Key Findings
  • Cloud Adoption Growth
    • Post Pandemic—SMBs are Resetting their Priorities
    • SMBs are Flocking to the Cloud
    • Public Cloud Delivers Business Agility and Enhanced Performance and Security
    • SMBs Continue to Migrate Legacy Applications to the Cloud
    • SMBs Retain Some Apps On-Premises for Better Security, Control, and Sustainability
    • SMBs are Easing Themselves into the Multicloud Strategy
  • SMBs’ Reliance on Expert Partners
    • SMBs Face Significant Challenges in Implementing Cloud Strategies
    • Third-party Partners Support SMB Digitalization Strategies
    • Partners Offer Planning and Cloud Management Services for SMBs
    • Benefits of Engaging a Third-party Services Provider
  • Appendix
    • Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?
    • The Strategic Imperative 8™
    • Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine™

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