IT contractors will find a growing number of firms are looking to move to cloud-based security solutions, it has been claimed.

As many companies look to cut their costs in a difficult economic situation, outsourcing certain sections of IT infrastructure to cloud services will become a key theme, according to Andy Wright, the sales director at nonstopIT.

Overall, the attitude to cloud services is softening, as the sector begins to establish trust with initially sceptical firms.

"People are starting to trust it more. More and more enquiries are coming in for cloud-based and managed solutions," Mr Wright said.

As well as the opportunity to reduce overheads, the ease of use and management of cloud systems is attracting many businesses, he added.

Specialist cloud solutions are believed to account for around 10.2 per cent of global IT spending on external services, according to data from IT research firm Gartner.