Online collaboration has evolved during the last decade, delivering even greater value – thanks to a new generation of business technology applications.

Forbes Insights released «Collaborating in the Cloud,» a Cisco-sponsored study examining the ways business leaders increasingly look at cloud collaboration as a way to increase productivity, accelerate business results and enhance innovation across borders and functions.

The research combines a global survey of more than 500 executives with 15 executive interviews.

«The ability to collaborate in the cloud is becoming a key driver of competitive advantage,» says Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer of Forbes Media. «Leading companies are doing more to foster cloud-based collaboration – not only internally, but also with an ever-wider swath of external groups including customers, suppliers, partners, and even regulators.»

The benefits of cloud-based collaboration, Rogers continues, include «greater efficiency, organizational dexterity, and innovation,» to name only a few.

Key findings from the market study include …