Nearly three quarters of European companies plan to invest in a cloud-based B2B integration strategy over the next year in a bid to cut costs, according to research from Sterling Commerce.
The vendor questioned 300 senior IT managers in France Germany and the UK - a third of them working in financial services - on attitudes to cloud-based B2B integration.
Respondents from France and Germany led the way, with 72% and 77% respectively claiming they will invest in this area within the next 12 months but in the UK the figure was less that 50%.
Asked about the benefits of the technology, over half of respondents say cloud-based B2B integration services will drive down operating costs through better use of IT staff and better cost predictability.
More than 35% say they will reduce errors resulting from manual processes, and another third think the technology will help them achieve greater visibility into their B2B processes.
David Carmichael, senior product marketing manager, Sterling Commerce, says: "The research confirms that companies are now ready to take advantage of the flexibility and scalability of cloud-based B2B integration solutions and embrace the 'pay-for-use model' that cloud computing represents."
However, the research also shows that 65% of all respondents identified security as the most important concern when considering a cloud-based B2B integration service.
"This is testament to wider industry concerns associated with cloud computing. Contractual agreements can only go so far when taking responsibility for the security of systems and data when moving to a cloud-based service, so integration service providers need to demonstrate credibility to create trust with customers," says Carmichael.