Forrester’s 2017 cloud computing trends report highlights some big moves for business. The company is predicting that the value of the global public cloud market will reach $146 billion in 2017. A number of businesses are already capitalizing on cloud technologies, saving time and money while increasing process and workflow efficiencies. Forrester forecasts that these types of trends will continue as more businesses take full advantage of cloud offerings. It noted that customer demand will help to drive the movement to the cloud. Other highlights include the following:
Hyperconvergence is More Than a Buzzword
Forrester says that hyperconverged infrastructure will have a strong impact on private clouds. Hyperconverged.org noted that many companies are juggling 8-12 software and hardware products, which not only increases the complexity of the IT environment, but also soaks up time and resources. Hyperconvergence is simply about bringing together all of the software and hardware resources into a single, shared “pool”.
The Playing Field Gets More Crowded
Forrester also sees that the cloud arena will broaden as other companies begin to seize market share. While large players like Microsoft will still be very important, more niche businesses will target specialized corporate demands. PC Mag highlighted its top choices for cloud service providers targeting small and mid-sized businesses. The article noted that the special needs of small and mid-sized companies, like limited time and resources, has driven providers to develop targeted solutions.
Security Finally Gets a Boost
Security will be an important issue. IBM reported that the average data breach costs a company about $4 million, a slight increase over the cost of $3.79 million in 2015. Symantec has shined a light on the corporate secrecy around cyberattacks, noting that the “number of exposed identities jumped to 429 million” in 2015—but companies were reporting fewer of their troubles. Symantec puts the real number of exposed identities at more than half a billion. Fortunately, Forrester has noted that the cloud service providers themselves will be taking some of these issues in hand. Infosec is a key aspect of any integrated business approach, as it has a direct effect on company resources and customers. Partnering with a cloud provider to better ensure the safety of customer and company data will boost the bottom line for companies through improved reputation and increased privacy.
Chinese Muscle
While China’s growth is legendary, that is expected to slow down in 2017 to 6.5%. However, Forrester believes that Chinese companies will have a strong impact on the cloud. This is not surprising, since China’s cloud computing market is expected to hit $20 billion by 2020. The International Trade Administration noted that the Chinese government itself is involved in pushing the edges of the cloud, as it has included cloud computing in its official 5 Year Plan. One of China’s tech giants, Tencent, already signaled its backing of the cloud with an investment of $1.57 billion over five years.
Migrating to the Cloud is Easier, But…
Forrester sees that the lift-and-shift approach will have an impact on migrations. Lift-and-shift may make sense for some businesses, as provides front-end cost savings by merely moving in-house applications to the new cloud service provider. However, running apps in this way is not always the best approach over the long haul, since they cannot make full use of the newer cloud environment.
Every new year brings new challenges and exciting opportunities. The trends in cloud computing are driving significant changes in how companies manage apps, data, and services. Identifying which trends have the strongest impact on your business can allow for the creation of a stronger IT approach—and improved bottom line—in the coming year.