The overlap between cloud computing and enterprise mobility is becoming ever more pronounced. And according to a new survey from Rackspace Hosting, the proliferation of cloud computing, and mobilising workforces means that companies are likely to spend far less on office space.

It’s not strictly correct to call this a ‘new’ survey. It’s the third in a series on the state of cloud computing from the global hosting provider, called ‘Cloud Computing: State of Play’. A previous iteration had revealed that moving to the cloud had cost savings for nearly nine in 10 companies.

Yet this report examined the benefits, or otherwise, of the post-PC era, BYOD (bring your own device), and how cloud integrates with those elements.

“There is no doubt that cloud computing is enabling a more flexible workplace using a range of devices,” said Dr. Brian Nicholson of Manchester Business School in a canned quote. “[Staff are] demanding the same consumer app experience in the workplace from their laptops, smartphones and tablets.

“With our reliance on the PC declining, the onus is on the businesses to deliver their IT services in a format that enables staff to access corporate cloud apps from any device or location.”

So what are the stats underpinning this train of thought? On average, three quarters of companies surveyed who claimed there were more opportunities to work remotely said they saved over £200,000 per year on reduced office space.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, enterprises felt the benefit more than SMEs, with £367,000 per year saved for larger organisations, compared to £162,000 for SMEs.

In terms of more sophisticated working methods, cloud was again cited for improving business scope. Over half of respondents in the survey said that cloud computing had enabled them to employ workers based across the globe, whereas before it wouldn’t have been possible.

And employees were actively encouraged to work remotely because of cloud systems, according to 84% of respondents.

The research also examined facets of apps in cloud strategy. Only 17% of those surveyed said they weren’t experiencing a clamour for mobile devices from employees. 42% of respondents revealed that employees wanted to use their own devices, whilst 56% said their employees expected the company to foot the bill.

Yet personal devices and cloud computing don’t always make a match made in heaven, as a report from AccelOps found back in March. BYOD was voted ahead of data control and data loss as the main cloud security threat.

It’s safe to say that the main theme in current research reports is based around the links between cloud computing, enterprise mobility and how they can drive a spike in business.

Earlier this week Ernst & Young and India’s CIO Klub clubbed together to examine how vital enterprise mobility was to Indian CIOs this year; CommScope proclaimed cloud computing and enterprise mobility as the two biggest “game changers” in IT this year; whilst CloudTech has also recently examined the effects of cloud computing in the enterprise.

However these results show the tangible effects of cloud in a practical context. Would this influence your opinion to migrate?