Cloud computing has been at the heart of IT innovation for more than a decade and has developed rapidly over the past few years. SaaS, PaaS, IaaS and hybrid cloud are all markets that are growing exponentially, and this is only set to increase in the next year.
So, what can we expect from the cloud in 2020? According to Angela Mace, CRM and Events Director of ITWeb, there are several trends to look out for.
One: Enabling digital transformation
“Digital transformation is a top investment priority for enterprises in every industry," says Mace. "In fact, according to the IDC, over 80% of organisations are undergoing initiatives to consolidate and modernise their infrastructure.”
They cannot do this without the cloud.
Cloud has changed the way we store, analyse and gain insights from our data, the way we run business operations and the way in which our applications are developed.
Two: A growth in multi-cloud environments
Cloud is being seen more and more as the preferred platform for existing and new enterprise IT applications.
“This is why we can expect to see a growth in multi-cloud environments as organisations look to harness the benefits of a vendor-neutral approach, which lowers costs and gives them the ability to innovate more freely,” says Mace.
However, businesses are still struggling to manage and migrate applications between the various cloud infrastructures, although there are solutions available to address this.
“I believe we will see more organisations investing in solutions that will help them manage their multi-cloud environments,” says Mace.
Three: Raising security, compliance standards
Another trend, according to Mace, will be a move among public cloud and hyperscale providers to raise compliance and security standards.
“The ongoing introduction of new data regulations will put pressure on these providers, which will have a ripple effect on the industry as a whole. I expect that higher standards will be a requirement, and a greater emphasis will be placed on keeping public and private data separate.”
Security vendors are also making great strides when it comes to automating security, which is seeing cloud providers morph into a type of security provider themselves.
“There’s a move towards a shared responsibility model, splitting security of the cloud, and security in the cloud, between the provider and the customer,” she notes.
Four: Quantum computing
“There is no doubt that in the next few years quantum computing will be become more accessible through the cloud," says Mace.
"It will empower computers and servers to process data at a far faster pace in comparison to what we can do today.
"Cloud computing will play a crucial role in expanding computing force and performance. In fact, IBM is already offering cloud-based access to 15 quantum computers for clients to explore potential applications for the technology, including a 53-qubit system.”
Mace says these trends and more will be discussed at ITWeb’s upcoming Cloud, Data Centre & DevOps Summit, to be held on 11 February at The Forum in Bryanston.
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