Mexico cloud services to grow 30% in 2015 - CIU

Consulting firm Competitive Intelligence Unit (CIU) expects cloud usage in Mexican businesses to grow 32% in 2015, in part driven by new entrants and small businesses.

Cloud-based solutions were used by 62% of the country's large businesses and 45% of mid-sized companies in 2014, up 23% over the previous year.

Small businesses are still reticent to use cloud services. Only 2% of microenterprises use cloud solutions, according to CIU.

"The lack of information on cloud services and the inherent distrust in data usage and data privacy concerns are the main barriers for the mainstream adoption of these technologies," said CIU's Daniel Kapellmann.

Analysts are bullish on cloud services in Mexico. Software company Interactive Intelligence Group said the cloud will be exponentially more important in the local IT market this year, while market research IDC forecast that it will grow 55% by 2018.

Startups in the areas of e-commerce and cloud services are among Mexico's most promising new companies, including Nuve, an app that works through the cloud and helps asset management firms to have more control and protection of their resources, and which received an investment of US$1.15mn this year.