Parallels SMB Cloud Insights™ Helps Service Providers Target the Rapidly-Growing Cloud Services Market for Small and Medium Business

Research details SMB cloud services buying behavior, as the U.S. market grew 25% to $15.1 billion in 2011, and forecasts the global market to expand by 26% CAGR to $68 billion by 2014

RENTON, WA and ORLANDO, FLORIDA – February 15, 2012 – Parallels, the hosting and cloud services enablement leader, today released the latest updates of Parallels SMB Cloud Insights™, its series of research that profiles the cloud buying behavior of small and medium businesses (SMBs), the fastest growing segment for cloud services. The survey results continues to confirm why Parallels – and service providers – should remain laser-beam focused on meeting the demand for SMB cloud services, as most SMBs plan to double their purchase of cloud applications over the next three years.

The research was presented first to the attendees of Parallels Summit 2012 in Orlando, an event that attracts a global audience comprised of over 1,500 hosting partners, independent software vendors, industry analysts and press from across the world. In addition to the release of Parallels SMB Cloud Insights™, the company shared its future product road map and next-generation technology, as attendees learned and networked with Parallels and other industry experts.

Some of Parallels SMB Cloud Insights™ research findings include:

• SMBs continue to lead the adoption of cloud services, as the U.S. market experienced a 25% increase in 2011, growing to $15.1 billion USD.
• SMB cloud adoption is a global phenomenon not limited to North America, as the worldwide SMB cloud market is expected to expand at a 26% CAGR to $68 billion by 2014.
• SMBs with less than 20 employees are at least three times more likely to choose cloud services over on-premise services.
• SMBs are rapidly moving beyond basic web presence, with 45% of SMBs in the U.S. now managing a Facebook page to promote their business.
• SMBs plan to double the amount of paid cloud applications they purchase in the next three years, with size of SMB determining which applications are critical (micro and small SMBs seek apps like backup, file sharing and accounting and e-mail achieving; while medium businesses are seeking and phone conferencing services).

“Parallels SMB Cloud Insights research continues to confirm that SMBs are at the forefront of cloud adoption,” said Birger Steen, CEO of Parallels. “This research is part of our commitment to service providers to give them both the expertise and technology they need to address the quickly-growing market for SMB cloud services.”

Parallels SMB Cloud Insights specifically outlines which hosting, cloud services and applications have the most current and future appeal for SMBs across four key categories – Hosted Infrastructure (IaaS), Web Presence, Communications and Collaboration and Hosted Business Applications. Parallels research also reveals the market-by-market demand for value-added hosted applications and services such as online backup, file sharing, accounting, e-mail archiving and web conferencing.

The new U.S., Global, Brazil and Mexico reports expands the Parallels SMB Cloud Insights series to fourteen current regional profiles, including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, China, India, Japan and Australia. The existing reports are available for download at http://www.parallels.com/SMBreport2011, and the four new reports will be available on Parallels Web site beginning on February 17.

About Parallels
Parallels is a worldwide leader in hosting and cloud service enablement and desktop virtualization. Founded in 1999, Parallels is a fast-growing company with more than 800 employees in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.parallels.com/spp, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ParallelsCloud and Like Us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ParallelsCloud.