Nearly 94% of global businesses consider the cloud pivotal to their organizations, particularly as the pandemic rages on. And as of 2023, roughly 60% of all corporate data is stored on the cloud, up from just 30% in 2015.
Cloud computing is central to any organization’s strategy and operations, pandemic or no pandemic. Bringing security, convenience, efficiency, and many other benefits to every type of business, the technology is a must-have for companies all across the board.
There are three main types of cloud services available: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Across industries like finance, healthcare, retail, education, and many others, cloud services are used to store sensitive information, collaborate on projects in real-time, analyze data, and access important data from anywhere with an internet connection.
As remote work becomes all the more ubiquitous, what’s next for cloud computing? Here are 10 predictions.
1. Organizations Will Focus on the Hybrid Cloud
Hybrid cloud is a blend of cloud-based environments, mixing the public and private clouds, and sharing data between them. These environments function cohesively in many ways, bringing the best of both worlds to businesses.
More and more, organizations will be turning to hybrid cloud solutions to gain flexibility and scalability. These combined solutions will also enable businesses to plan ahead and achieve agility, particularly in a landscape that is rife with uncertainty.
2. Multi-Cloud Infrastructure Augments a Hybrid Cloud Strategy
A multi-cloud strategy involves the use of a variety of cloud services in a range of environments. Essentially, it means diversifying your cloud portfolio, spreading data, applications, assets, and tools within a single architecture. This means organizations can expand their digital presence, without having to simultaneously grow their physical presence.
3. Cloud “Nationalism” Will Enter the Picture
According to Forrester, we are entering an era of cloud nationalism. Given the competition for “global, economic, and political influence,” government agencies, particularly those in the US and China, will place stronger regulations on how cloud providers can and can’t operate. There will be more rules in place for these technology providers, governing their functions and access.
4. Security Is a Multi-fold Issue
Cybersecurity is always a critical issue across technologies and technology providers. Unfortunately, cloud environments are ripe for attacks. And as cybercriminals become more sophisticated, businesses of all varieties must ramp up their efforts in order to protect themselves and their consumers throughout 2024 and beyond.
Part of this involves educating employees, such that they don’t introduce problems. But establishing a secure cloud environment will also mean being strategic about implementing protocols and employing professionals who are experts in cloud cybersecurity to handle their needs.
Additionally, businesses will need to revamp their disaster recovery plans, ensuring cloud backup capabilities to protect their information from unexpected events, including cyber-attacks and human error.
5. There Will Be a Multitude of Options
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure have long dominated the cloud landscape. And while these huge tech giants and their cloud services aren’t going away anytime soon, 2024 will be a year when they share the wealth. Increasingly, as the field of cloud computing grows, so, too, will the range of options available.
As businesses embrace multi-cloud strategies, they will also look to a variety of providers, relying on independent companies in addition to the giants.
6. Organizations Are Focusing on Cloud Cost Optimization
Cloud cost optimization, which involves keeping costs low while maximizing the benefits of cloud usage, is becoming an important strategy, particularly in light of a possible impending recession. There are several tools available to help organizations manage spending on cloud resources and applications. There are also ways to automate cloud spending as well.
Organizations should continuously monitor their cloud computing tools to ensure that they are of value to the organization. Alterations may be necessary at times to keep costs low and value high.
7. Companies Will Pay Greater Attention to Sustainability
Increasingly, businesses have become cognizant of their carbon footprints. Fortunately, cloud computing can play a fundamental role in advancing a sustainability agenda and helping businesses be instrumental in combating climate change.
With the effects of climate change projected to cost businesses 1.6 trillion USD per year by 2025, it’s clear that companies must find a way to achieve sustainable solutions. Already, many cloud solutions are more environmentally friendly than their alternatives, but there is still room for improvement. Businesses will have an eye on cloud architecture that is low-energy and more sustainable.
8. AI and Cloud Computing Go Hand in Hand
AI has become a central component of many businesses’ IT and comprehensive technology strategy. This technology plays an important role in streamlining and automating numerous processes across departments and sectors.
But did you know that cloud computing makes the integration of AI services and tools within your organization all the more feasible? The cloud can store and process these pivotal tools, maintaining the data required for performing a wide variety of functions and powering an array of applications.
9. There Will Be Harmony Between Cloud and Edge Computing
Once, it may have seemed as though cloud and edge computing were at odds with one another. After all, they are, in many ways, opposites, with edge computing bringing applications closer to the data source and cloud computing sending them to a faraway location.
But in 2024, it will no longer be an either-or situation: businesses can have both. Strategies will incorporate both edge and cloud computing into their strategies, improving efficiency.
10. We’re on the Brink of a Data Explosion
By now, you’re probably familiar with the concept of big data. Businesses all over the world are generating huge amounts of data. In order to leverage this information and glean practical insights from it, ones they can use to improve their services, companies are turning to cloud solutions.
This will only increase in the future. We are on the brink of a data explosion, and every business in every sector must find a way to cope with the challenges of storing and dealing with massive amounts of information in a cost-effective way. For this and a variety of other obstacles, cloud computing is the answer.
