European cloud service providers have a bright future

By the end of 2010, most leading European cloud service providers will see business expansion, according to IDC analysts. Seventy percent of players in this market expect growth through operations in their own region, while the remaining 30% expect growth through operations in other regions.

Currently, there is a clear difference in technological approaches between small European cloud companies and large global providers. Specifically, European players offer infrastructures that are closer to traditional solutions than those of global providers.

Open source solutions are more common in cloud solutions than in traditional environments in Europe - 56% run on Linux, 81% of organizations use Apache, and 69% use MySQL.

"European cloud providers currently benefit from their close ties with local customers. Their current business model is very similar to that of traditional IT service providers. Additionally, they currently lack flexibility in terms of pricing and service," IDC explained.