Cloud forecasts for 2015
We are back to the time where every expert is discussing the IT and business trends for 2015. One of my favorite topics that’s high on discussion is, of course, the cloud. My main hope for 2015 is that the industry can move on from the “What is the cloud, public/private clouds are good/bad” debate and essentially become more refined in our understanding. I believe 2015 is the year when we stop talking about the cloud as a “What if?” option and start talking about the different architectures and their suitability for our workloads.
At the same time, 2015 will be all about the data. Not just any data, but the select data that will provide insights on what customers are up to, what they are thinking, and what’s ahead in the market. The way to compete in today’s hyper-competitive global economy is to become a data-driven enterprise, and the cloud will get us there. In fact, most, if not all, of the leading business intelligence and analytics vendors offer cloud-based versions of their tools — if not online, at least for private cloud. As Motley Fool’s Tim Beyers put it not too long ago: “Big data is the new cloud computing.”
At the same time, we have to keep in mind that our work patterns and habits are changing, and we’re no longer dependent on our offices. Most of us are out meeting clients onsite, working from home and checking email on the plane, train or bus. This change in behavior is driving the rise of mobile cloud computing. This growth will facilitate an influx of new mobile cloud technology, and 2015 will see an explosion of computing on a mobile device.
The convergence of cloud and mobile computing will continue to promote the growth of centrally coordinated applications that can be delivered to any device. I believe mobile-cloud is the new delivery of scalable, self-service computing, and both internal applications and external applications will be built this way. In the near term, the focus for cloud will be on synchronizing content and application state across multiple devices and addressing application portability across devices.
Finally, in 2015 everyone will be focused on security. The fact of the matter is that most enterprise IT folks don’t have a good understanding of what it means to build a secure cloud, so they default to the “cloud computing is unsecure” reaction. I believe the cloud is as secure as you make it, the same way your enterprise systems are as secure as you make them.
Have a great new year, everyone. Enjoy the cloud ride in 2015!
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