Filings buzz: 37% decrease in cloud computing mentions in Q1 of 2022 

In total, the frequency of sentences related to cloud computing between April 2021 and March 2022 was 243% higher than in 2016 when GlobalData, from which our data for this article is taken, first began to track the key issues referred to in company filings. 

When companies in the mining industry publish annual and quarterly reports, ESG reports and other filings, GlobalData analyses the text and identifies individual sentences that relate to disruptive forces facing companies in the coming years.

Cloud computing is one of these topics; companies that excel and invest in these areas are thought to be better prepared for the future business landscape and better equipped to survive unforeseen challenges. 

To assess whether cloud computing is featuring more in the summaries and strategies of companies in the mining industry, two measures were calculated. Firstly, we looked at the percentage of companies that have mentioned cloud computing at least once in filings during the past 12 months; this was 34% compared to 11% in 2016. Secondly, we calculated the percentage of total analysed sentences that referred to cloud computing. 

Of the 10 biggest employers in the mining industry, Honeywell was the company that referred to cloud computing the most between April 2021 and March 2022. GlobalData identified 36 cloud-related sentences in the US-based company's filings, 0.4% of all sentences. CIL mentioned cloud computing the second most; the issue was referred to in 0.05% of sentences in the company's filings. Other top employers with high cloud mentions included ThyssenKrupp, Nippon Steel and Sibanye-Stillwater. 

This analysis provides an approximate indication of which companies are focusing on cloud computing and how important the issue is considered within the mining industry, but it also has limitations and should be interpreted carefully.

For example, a company mentioning cloud computing more regularly is not necessarily proof that they are utilising new techniques or prioritising the issue, nor does it indicate whether the company's ventures into cloud computing have been successes or failures. 

GlobalData also categorises cloud computing mentions by a series of subthemes. Of these subthemes, the most commonly referred-to topic in the first quarter of 2022 was “platform as a service”, which made up 67% of all cloud subtheme mentions by companies in the mining industry.