A new Intuit (INTU) and Emergent Research report showed the cloud “is redefining the small business playing field.”

The report, titled “Small Business Success in the Cloud,” described the impact of cloud technology as it is progressively adapted by more and more small businesses.

“We are reaching an inflection point where small businesses are seeing that cloud technology can not only make them more efficient but can actually help them transform their approach to doing business. Whether it is the way they hire employees, the way they run their back-office or the way they bring their products and services to market, the cloud is reshaping the way they operate,” an Intuit spokesperson told Talkin’ Cloud.

Researchers predicted 78 percent of small businesses will fully adapt to the cloud by 2020, up from 37 percent in 2014.

The report also revealed four small business personas could emerge:

Intuit said the small business personas demonstrate how the cloud is creating a new era of opportunity for entrepreneurs and portray the human side of how cloud computing is making it cheaper and easier to start and scale a business.

“Today, the U.S. and global economy is going through a series of shifts and changes that are reshaping the economic landscape,” Emergent Research Partner Steve King said in a prepared statement. “In this new landscape, many people are using the power of the cloud to re-imagine the idea of small business and create new, innovative models that work for their needs.”

How badly do small businesses want to deploy cloud solutions?

While many small businesses want to integrate cloud platforms and services, there are various hurdles they must overcome to successfully deploy these solutions.

A May 2014 Microsoft (MSFT) survey of over 500 U.S. small businesses revealed the majority of small business owners are familiar with cloud solutions but do not use them at their companies.

Key survey findings included:

Microsoft Office General Manager Kirk Gregersen noted the survey highlights the demand for cloud solutions among small business owners. However, these business operators are still concerned about the cloud, and it could take them several years to fully adapt to it.

“Small businesses need cost-effective, secure and reliable solutions that enable them to be productive from anywhere — and they have very little time to implement and manage those solutions,” Gregersen wrote in a blog post.

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