In recent times, the explosive growth of cloud computing has changed the face of how enterprises do their business. Since its inception in the early 2000s, the significance of cloud computing has grown immensely. Although primarily used to build applications and rehost infrastructure, cloud computing today is also one of the prime catalyzers of organizations’ growth.
The recent rise in the adoption of cloud computing can be attributed to the ease of use as well as the scalability of the technology. With the rising tide of data and the need to mine it for usable insights, enterprises are starting to use the cloud to modernize their business operations. Also, the development of next-gen industrial solutions will be aided and enhanced by cloud computing.
Observing the rising capabilities of cloud computing, it is evident that this technology is most likely to introduce us to new avenues in the near future. Subsequently, as a cloud-powered future is starting to shape, service providers are prioritizing the development of distinct and separate clouds that work in concert across different ecosystems of various industry verticals. Here are the top 5 cloud computing trends that will shape enterprise computing in 2021.
1. Focus on Cloud Computing Adoption will be Reinforced
2020 has proven that this decade will be dramatically different from the previous one. Even before the COVID-19 reared its ugly head, adoption of traditional IT infrastructure was dropping and businesses were riding heavily on general cloud computing services.
The year has set the stage for a rough ride for a majority of the traditional tech companies. The domino effect of the pandemic has forced enterprises to pivot to advanced digital models, leading to a significant transition to cloud computing.
While the end state of traditional IT infrastructure is not zero, it is in decline. As companies see growth ahead for infrastructure automation and hyper-converged infrastructure, cloud computing is expected to be the hot growth area in 2021.
2. Multi-Cloud Strategies will Open a Myriad of Business Opportunities
Today, IT environments are employing multiple platforms in the pursuit of becoming more agile and continuing business efficiently and effectively. However, it is imperative to note that a majority of multi-cloud strategies today are more inclined towards functionality, procurement, and risk mitigation rather than application portability.
Highly influenced by the ‘flexibility’ quotient, hybrid cloud will continue to be the deployment model of choice of enterprises in the multi-cloud environment. Hybrid or multi-cloud strategies will reduce dependency on a single vendor or cloud solution where they often find themselves locked in contracts.
3. Use of Serverless Technology and Container Platforms will Rise
In the current scenario, enterprises are increasingly relying on serverless computing, as it offers space to work on core products and services without the need to operate or manage servers. With the benefits of managing and scaling of resources by the serverless providers, the technology is set to go from a niche option to mainstream in 2021.
In the cloud computing environment, there is no turning back from the virtualized deployment or container orchestration. Furthermore, containers simplify deployment, management, and operational issues associated with a hybrid cloud. Thus, the significant growth of the hybrid cloud is expected to lead a huge rise in the deployment of containers. Additionally, sub-segments such as serverless container offerings and public cloud container orchestration are expected to remain key growth areas.
4. AI will Revolutionize Cloud Capabilities and IT Infrastructure
Advancements in AI-based services and solutions will continue to work in tandem with the increased deployment of both public and private clouds. AI has been considered a technology to revolutionize IT infrastructure and digital capabilities, and cloud computing solutions are no exception. AI as a service significantly improves the existing cloud services and augments their applications.
Data centers worldwide are witnessing the increasing use of AI to proactively solve critical issues. As the IT infrastructure and operation skill gaps widen, AI will play a significant role in automating many of the tasks. Subsequently, it will help data centers learn from past data and distribute workloads across the organization more efficiently through the cloud.
5. Affordability of Cloud Architecture will Move Up the Priority List
While discussing the hybrid-cloud world, there has always been a strong plea of attention to the big cloud management challenge – securing apps and data. As a result, cloud leaders are placing their focus on ramping up investment in their native security offerings. Other stakeholders such as cross-cloud management providers are likely to follow suit and acquire security capabilities beyond past identities.
In the coming years, IT infrastructure and cloud computing solutions will require optimization to become more cost-effective. With the significant transition of small and mid-sized businesses to cloud environments, cloud providers will need to differentiate their products and help these organizations select affordable cloud architecture that delivers preferred performance.
Thus, hybrid cloud, serverless computing, containers, etc are set to rule the industry in the future. With rising reliance on cloud computing, organizations are experiencing a significant rise in their efficiency and productivity levels. With so many advantages and benefits on offer, industry experts are expecting a much wider use of the cloud in 2021.
With new advancements and innovations filling up traditional voids, cloud computing will play a vital role in helping organizations create a better digital space for themselves. Contact us to know how we can develop a roadmap for your cloud journey and help you leverage the maximum benefits of cloud computing.