Till a few years ago, cloud computing was just a technological fad with little practical value and more hype. In recent years, cloud computing has altered the paradigm of how software is built, data is stored, and how it is accessed. As IT continues to play a significant role in how companies operate, cloud-based platforms and infrastructure have helped companies to streamline their operation, become more efficient and thus reduce IT operations costs. November is coming to an end and we are a month shy of 2017. In the year gone by, there have been rapid changes in cloud migration and cloud-allied strategies. Below are the top 5 trends in cloud computing services.
1. Rapid Growth in the Adoption of Cloud Computing
The availability of cloud-based applications (big & small) is in abundance these days. According to reports published by Gartner, there has been a 250 percent increase in revenue from worldwide cloud services in the last two years. As of today, a significant number of organizations intend to migrate to cloud-based applications. The adoption of cloud storage and applications has helped CIOs cut down unsustainable overheads on data storage, a prime consideration for driving the adoption of cloud computing.
2. Go Mobile – The Latest Mantra
Smartphones and tablets have become a basic necessity of life. Our lives revolve around these gadgets such that they have now a major impact on how business is transacted. Employees who work at sites away from the office prefer to get work done on the go without having to step into the office. Companies are tapping the benefit of convenience and productivity using mobile-compatible cloud-based applications. The ability for an application to work on mobiles is a key thrust area when designing cloud-enabled application
3. Social Tools, Cloud, and Collaboration
The rapidly and ever-changing cloud computing technology is considered to be one of the core principles of the digital era. The close integration of cloud technologies and analytics has been rapidly growing. In addition to being flexible, cloud-based applications are more social than traditional onsite software. In today’s work culture, tools like chat, micro-blogging, etc play a significant role in collaboration among peers. As people are getting used to these tools, customers now have begun to adopt these non-conventional modes to communicate with prospects and fellow employees.
4. Best of Both Worlds, Hybrid Cloud the Preferred Mode
Hybrid cloud computing has been gaining popularity and is still the most preferred mode of deployment among big enterprises. A hybrid cloud is a combination of a public cloud and a private cloud for data storage and retrieval. It thus provides the benefit of cost-saving and convenience offered by the public cloud and the ability to add layers of security and customization to the private cloud. With this architecture, enterprises are able to house critical and sensitive information on their private cloud and non-sensitive information on the public cloud. With the twin ability of security and convenience, more companies are opting for this mode of deployment.
5. Security and Data Privacy Key Focus
In today’s world of cyber hacks and data theft, data privacy continues to be the key concern when companies strategize their migration to the cloud. With the advent of new technologies, cybercriminals have become smarter. To mitigate this risk, cloud providers and cloud-enabled applications are incorporating a mechanism for developing a secure cloud computing ecosystem. The age-old adage, “change is the only constant in life”, is apt for technology changes too. Cloud computing methodologies are rapidly evolving with every passing year. The future of computing may be hard to predict, but cloud computing will continue to have a significant impact on the IT strategy of every CIO in the years to come.
