The results of a new Forrester Research survey show that while awareness around cloud computing has grown by leaps and bounds, the concerns of potential adopters remain the same. But apparently vendors and cloud promoters didn’t get the memo.

Forrester conducted its “State Of Emerging SMB Hardware: 2009 To 2010″ survey over two months and returned around 3,000 business respondents. Roughly 51% of those respondents named uncertainty about security in cloud environments the biggest obstacle to adoption.

. . .

While the concepts of cloud computing — self-service and pay-as-you-go computing services and infrastructure — appear to have sunk in, Harmon said that users don’t care to hear about how cloud is going to change the world. They are looking for reassuring specifics and aren’t getting them. Many of these concerns are unfounded, said Harmon, but vendors and their lack of action is not helping.

via SearchCloudComputing.com.

The concerns and responses to them are well summarized here in a thorough post by David Navetta of the Infolaw Group. Wayne Pauley, a cloud computing expert from EMC, also lays out the concerns well from a more technical and “industry standards” and transparency angle in his blog, PrivatelyExposed.

When attending a seminar recently, I voiced concerns over privacy issues in the cloud as it particularly pertained to small non-profit organizations that get donated licenses and therefore have zero bargaining power with the vendors. The response was to show me the cloud vendors extensive privacy policy and point out the fact that this was an enforceable warranty under law.

The response wasn’t that comforting. This wasn’t an assurance that the concerns were being addressed, merely a statement to the following effect: “Don’t worry, we got you covered.” If there were to be a data breach, you can’t put the cat back in the bag. In the case of a breach, the vendor response would likely be to duck for cover.  In most circumstances, a private right of action is illusory as well. How does a small organization with an operating budget of under $1 million take on a billion dollar vendor?

I don’t have the answers. You?

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