A study commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by Springboard Research also revealed that SMBs in the Asia Pacific region consider other countries as more advanced in adoption. Yet, because of challenges, SMBs are still cautious in adopting the cloud.

"Our research confirmed strong interest in cloud adoption among Asia Pacific businesses, but also uncovered a clear perception that the US and EMEA [Europe, Middle East and Africa] were ahead of the Asia Pacific in both cloud understanding and adoption," said Michael Barnes, survey lead analyst, Springboard Research.

To manage risks, businesses in the region tend to put non-sensitive computing resources, such as e-mail and instant messaging, in the public cloud while mission-critical applications are put in private cloud.

Added Barnes: "Companies across the region are keen to adopt cloud computing but their understanding of the cloud is not complete and they are initially leaning towards approaches that most closely map to their existing skills, experience and investments, hence the strong preference for private clouds over public clouds."