In a new survey conducted by Business Software Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, the results showed that only 24% of the 4,000 respondents take advantage of cloud computing applications like online word processing and email services. The rate is about 10% less than the global percentage of computer users who use cloud services.

According to the survey, a lot of computer users in Europe are not familiar with any cloud computing service while an astounding 65% of the respondents haven’t even heard of the term “cloud computing”. According to Robert Holleyman, President of Business Software Alliance, the European economy will greatly benefit from cloud computing. Consumers, businesses, and even national governments can take advantage of the best IT resources and software applications in a more cost effective and efficient manner but computer users haven’t capitalized on the vast opportunities the cloud has to offer.

Also, the survey revealed that only 10% of the computer users in France are familiar with cloud computing while only 9% of users in Poland know what it is. 24% of the Greek computer users are familiar with cloud technologies while UK reported 28% of its computer enthusiasts know cloud computing.

Another surprising revelation is that cloud computing usage is highest in Romania and Greece with 39%. All around Europe, 86% of cloud computing users use it for personal use while 29% use cloud computing for business purposes. The global average is pegged at 33%. In that same survey, 79% of cloud users use email, 35% use cloud computing for gaming and photo storage, and 36% of the respondents use it for online word processing.

Come autumn, the Cloud Computing Strategy for the European Union will be published by the European Commission. This move is believed to stimulate cloud computing growth and use in the market. According to EurActiv, the European Commission will also promote off-site data storage to create more jobs and decrease IT costs. Public administrators and companies will be encouraged to use cloud computing in order to enjoy its benefits.

On the same note, the Business Software Alliance is also enticing European policymakers to ensure that cloud computing service providers and user scan take advantage of a wide range of cloud computing benefits.