Security of cloud services is an even bigger issue for corporate server and storage experts than it is for corporate security staff.

Of the server professionals surveyed by The Info Pro, 80% says they have no plans at all to try cloud computing, either internal or via a service provider. Only 31% within Fortune 100 companies say they are even investigating cloud computing.

Of those that are investigating, 90% say they would build their own internal clouds rather than go with a cloud service.

Only 15% of the server pros surveyed say they would use a multi-tenant environment to host applications, voicing concerns about control and security.

The study says 30% of server pros who are considering cloud services name security as their greatest concern. “Challenged by a lack of standards on how data is secured and stored, IT must understand a cloud provider’s operations and policies related to data integrity, recovery, backup and privacy, especially when data is stored across national boundaries,” the study says.

Complexity and security are the biggest reasons they give for steering clear of clouds, says Anders Lofgren, chief research officer for The Info Pro.

A contributing factor may be job preservation. “With cloud services, there’s a need for less staff. It’s viewed as a job threat,” he says.

Some of these server professionals may not have plans for cloud services but that doesn’t mean the companies they work for have no plans. According to Lofgren, the business sides of many corporations are looking into cloud services because of the compelling savings they offer over owned infrastructure. And they may be doing so without consulting IT.

Tim Greene is senior editor at Network World.