Consumers don't want to use more apps due to security concerns

The fact that people are afraid to use more apps because of security reasons is costing the UK economy billions. To be more precise, £2.5 billion this year, £3.2 billion the next.

This is according to a new report by Rackspace, which says that 36 percent of consumers are reluctant to use more apps for security reasons. Privacy is also a huge issue for 33 percent of consumers in general -- rising up to 37 percent among the older population.

More than a quarter (26 percent) said a failure in an app prevented them from doing something important. "Our research shows that security and reliability are the biggest concerns for consumers when using online services", says Darren Norfolk, UK managing director of Rackspace.

"Both these issues often boil down to having a robust and scalable infrastructure in place. Having access to expertise on how to run the infrastructure and plan for traffic peaks is something that can sometimes be forgotten, look at Pokemon Go which went down shortly after the app was launched. The technology itself wasn’t the problem, it was the fact that the IT team planned for fifty times less traffic than what they eventually received".

But Rackspace’s report is not all about the negatives -- there are also positives. For example, the UK population is saving 2.2 hours every month, by using various apps and online services. For 51 percent it’s more convenient, and for 45 percent it’s time-saving. Spending less money (25 percent) is not that big of a priority for UK consumers.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Future plc Publication. All rights reserved.

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