While a third (32 percent ) of executives agree that the IT department is currently the main driver of cloud adoption, another 45 percent report that individuals business units are ultimately responsible for cloud adoption strategies, according to an article from Forbes and a new survey of 460 IT leaders and senior managers conducted by Capgemini.

However, the article says, just because cloud computing is in more of the hands of the business does not mean it’s run as effectively as possible. The board of directors is seen as both a driver (29 percent) and a blocker (28 percent) of cloud initiatives, suggesting that in many cases “benefiting from the cloud is still being hindered by a lack of appropriate senior level understanding and commitment,” the report states,. “It is safe to conclude that by now the benefits of the cloud are clear and widely understood.”

At the same time, however, cloud is assuming a great deal of strategic value – shifting initiative from the IT department to the business unit.

The cloud also hasn’t made significant inroads into core mission-critical systems yet, Forbes reports. The survey finds current migrations to the cloud are largely focused on new applications supporting ‘cutting edge’ areas of business (according to 78 percent of executives surveyed) rather than legacy applications.  

Also, most enterprise cloud projects are still private implementations, driven by concerns around security, manageability, quality of service and regulatory compliance. Still, 40 percent of organizations cited their preference for off-premise and partner-hosted private cloud solutions, and 26 percent cited a preference for on-premise private cloud solutions.

So, Forbes reports, the survey results tell us that business managers may be in charge of the cloud, but they still want their IT departments to make it all happen.