Cloud Computing – A glimpse to the future

Cloud computing has taken off in recent years, and it has become a core strategy for most of the businesses. That’s not surprising at all if we think about all the advantages it brings. I will not mention all, as I talked about them over and over again in my previous articles. However, I would like to mention one,that I believe is important for every business – Efficiency. Streamlined operations, increased scalability, flexibility, automation, speed – you name it, and cloud has it.

As 2016 is enjoying its final months, it’s time for us to create an overall picture of 2017’s cloud computing and how this will look like in the years to come.

• Companies will run towards cloud

By 2017, cloud adoption will reach $250 billion, more and more businesses choosing to move to the cloud. However, this means that more workload will be processed in this environment, bringing more challenges to the surface, such as security and performance.

• Security will remain top spot among priorities

That’s not something new, as security has become paramount for all businesses, regardless of their size or industry. However, a forecast made by CISCO reveals that by 2019, more than 86% of workloads will be processed by cloud centers, which mean more information that needs to be protected. In simple terms, we need to strengthen our security strategies.  Moreover, we already know that cyber-attacks moved to the cloud and the threats are becoming more complex and difficult to track, not to mention prevent them.

• Cloud Managed Services will ramp up

By 2021, Cloud Managed Services will reach USD 76.73 billion from USD 35.54 billion in 2016. This will entail more challenges related to automation and legacy applications. If you ask why managed services will expand, the answer is very simple. Businesses long for improved customer experience, and they’re starting to figure out that cloud is the one that can provide this.

• Synchronizing multiple devices will become a challenge

BYOD strategy is becoming mainstream, and almost every business allow employees to bring their smartphones or tablets to work. A forecast made by CISCO shows that global cloud traffic will more than quadruple by the end of 2019, reaching 8.6 zettabytes. IT departments will not be too enthusiastic about this as cloud traffic will become harder to manage.

As a concluding note, I would like to mention some challenges that businesses have met along the way while trying to adopt cloud solutions.

• Choosing the wrong cloud has been and will remain a problem for most of the organizations. Selecting not only the best but also the right cloud type for your company is crucial. This important step falls to CIOs, who must figure out what cloud architecture suits the best to the business’s needs and requirements.
• Choosing the right strategy – Moving to the cloud is just like moving to a new home. You don’t just move in, but you take with you the furniture as well. That’s precisely the case here. Adopting cloud means also adjusting your business processes and management.

Bottom line, 2016 has been an exciting year for cloud and 2017 promises to be even more. Looking forward to sharing your comments below!

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