The findings were announced in a survey by supplier Intel Security into the state of cloud adoption across the world, with 32% expressing doubts, compared to a market average of 19%.

It found that a quarter of government respondents said that they have had a data loss or breach with a cloud service provider, and only 9% have complete trust in the public cloud to keep their data secure.

Raj Samani, chief technology officer at Intel Security EMEA, said: “We are at the tipping point of investment and adoption, expanding rapidly as trust in cloud computing and cloud providers grows.

“As we enter a phase of wide-scale adoption of cloud computing to support critical applications and services, the question of trust within the cloud becomes imperative. This will become integral into realising the benefits that cloud computing can truly offer.”

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The survey, conducted by market research firm Vanson Bourne, interviewed 1,200 IT decision makers with influence over their organisation’s cloud security in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Government respondents said they have an average of 39 cloud services being used by their organization.  This is lowest from all the sectors surveyed, with market average of 43.

Almost two thirds of government ICT professionals (59%) said they have  a distinct solution for both on-premises and cloud infrastructure, compared to a market average.

Jim Reavis, chief executive officer of the Cloud Security Alliance, said: “The cloud is the future for businesses, governments and consumers.”

“Security vendors and cloud providers must arm customers with education and tools, and cultivate strong relationships built on trust, in order to continue the adoption of cloud computing platforms. Only then can we completely benefit from the advantages of the cloud.”