Since the 2003 Amazon leadership retreat, an entire cloud industry has developed, changing the way businesses operate and compete. And the pace of change in cloud computing is not slowing down – so what does that mean for the future? We look at five trends.
The accelerated digital transformation brought on by the pandemic has triggered rapid growth in cloud technology that shows no sign of abating. As the cloud continues to develop and become more ubiquitous, Bernard Marr outlines five key trends he sees in its near future:
Cloud’s accelerated evolution
- Cloud technology will drive innovation throughout the digital world, with spending on cloud services projected to reach over $482 billion this year. This will have a ripple effect, impacting the speed and growth of all digital services, from gaming to IoT, and driving prices down for consumers.
Sustainability is driving innovation in cloud
- Technology companies increasingly recognise the need to reduce energy usage to mitigate climate change, and switching to the cloud can play a pivotal role. Companies with commitments to running on renewable energy, such as Amazon, are doubly sustainable, so we’ll likely see more of this.
- The disappearing distinction between public and private clouds
- Traditionally, companies could either take advantage of accessible public clouds or bespoke private options, with the latter more suitable for those requiring higher levels of security. But now, a third hybrid approach has emerged - data that needs to be accessed by customers can move to a public cloud, while sensitive information can stay on-premises.
AI and the cloud
- The immense amount of data required to train AI will be made vastly more achievable by the cloud, so evolution in AI is an inevitable consequence of the cloud’s growth. Language learning and art are two key elements in which AI is projected to grow.
Serverless cloud computing
- Serverless removes the need for organisations to plan how much infrastructure they require. It flexibly adapts, providing a simplified pay-as-you-go option for businesses, allowing developers to concentrate on other priorities.
Why does this matter for businesses?
As the cloud continues to evolve, it presents many new opportunities for businesses, from reductions in costs to enabling them to harness AI's potential. Companies will need to analyse where they can implement the cloud in order to both stay competitive and foster innovation.
