As a beacon of innovation and efficiency, businesses take full advantage of modern cloud environments while slowly integrating new technologies, features, and trends.
The future of IT will be centered around the cloud. By the end of 2024, it is predicted that 9 out of 10 new workloads will be hosted in the cloud. Add to that a demand for innovative platforms, AI, and cost savings. Cloud services are a strategic weapon for businesses that want to unlock innovation, improve agility, and succeed.
Here are some of the biggest trends in cloud computing, which you can apply to your organization today.
Move past a singular cloud platform by leveraging multiple platforms. The popularity of multi-cloud is growing. A business can consider different options and select a cloud based on its best suitability for its workload or data. This provides a way to leverage resources in a decentralized way, which accommodates increased control and flexibility.
Cloud environments use drag-and-drop interfaces and natural language processing tools. These technologies eliminate the requirement for advanced technical skills and coding knowledge. Non-technical stakeholders can utilize the cloud in ways that only trained software engineers can normally do. It accelerates the rate at which cloud computing is developed.
Unforeseen events like hardware malfunctions or natural disasters can disrupt cloud operations. Disaster recovery plans are crucial to business continuity. Current trends in disaster recovery include dispersed cloud infrastructure, automated data replication, and advanced failover systems designed to minimize downtime and reduce data loss risks.
Robust multi-factor authentication, or MFA, is fast becoming the new standard in cloud environments. This eliminates the traditional password-to-access dynamic. MFA leverages biometrics, voice recognition, and user behaviour analysis. This feature is a massive jump in security protections, greatly reducing the risk of a data breach or attack.
Lower hardware costs and 5G networks suggest edge computing will partner with the cloud. Sensors, smart cameras, and wearables can capture and process data in real time, reducing cloud dependency. Instead, they use edge servers to deliver content. This redistribution of computing provides businesses with another data stream that complements their existing cloud setup.
Businesses do not need to wait for insights to become available. They can tap into real-time data processing and action with immediate access to resources. This pulls from serverless computing, edge computing, and flash and solid-state storage. A company can scale to handle fluctuating data loads better through real-time architecture and make swift decisions. Key analytics are already prepared for them.
Industry cloud platforms are becoming more popular. Last year, they made up only 15% of all clouds. By 2027, ICPs are expected to be up to 70%. ICPs allow you to precisely address industry-specific needs, integrating various elements into a unified platform. Think of them as a more personalized and intuitive cloud platform for enterprises.
FinOps is a framework, culture, and mindset aimed at maximizing the value of cloud investments, primarily by optimizing cloud costs. It is a trendy strategy in light of economic pressures related to recessions and inflation. FinOps also encourages businesses to plan and forecast better.
Cloud computing stakeholders strongly focus on eco-friendliness and sustainability, with all major cloud service providers aiming for net-zero emissions. Many seek to reduce emissions by set dates, such as Amazon's target of zero emissions by 2040. Even smaller brands in the cloud environment are trying to operate more sustainably, a trend gaining momentum each year.
AI models require vast amounts of data and computing power. For most businesses, cloud platforms are where they can access the best AI. Many new AI applications are being released and utilized through clouds. This is at least for accounts that can scale their database storage to allow AI to train structured and unstructured formats.
Data encryption remains critical to protecting your resources as a primary form of cloud computing security. Sensitive information should be encrypted. This converts data into an unreadable format, preventing unauthorized parties from interpreting it. As hacking has grown more sophisticated, so have advanced encryption algorithms.
Cloud service providers must ensure customers' data is fully protected and private. Technology, regulation, and legislation guide privacy. This responsibility differentiates low-level cloud providers from those higher up. However, it is becoming more difficult due to the presence of more third parties in cloud computing environments.
There is an increasing push to include more apps and software in the cloud. Doing so means enterprises can access anything they need. Many predict that this will be the future of cloud computing. Soon, businesses can handle procurement, distribution, payment processing, and more, all from a cloud-based ecosystem.
Cloud computing enables innovation and transformation, including aspects of the Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and quantum computing. Stakeholders can craft, optimize, and take advantage of this technology without investing directly in the architecture and infrastructure. Many businesses can also move faster in testing and optimizing this technology for their needs.
