Cloud computing has quickly transitioned from being “emerging technology” to traversing a “slope of enlightenment,” as noted by Forbes. By 2020, we can expect to see over 70% of businesses—across the globe and across all industries—moving to cloud technology. Cloud-based offices are more adaptive, more cost-effective, and more accommodating to today’s workforce. Here’s what the future holds.
Streamlined spaces and costs
Businesses moving from infrastructure-based operations to application-based operations are already reaping the financial benefits. Cloud-based offices allow businesses to allocate fewer funds towards expensive real estate, the cost of which continues to skyrocket. By doing away with the necessity for in-house servers—as well as their associated cooling systems and back-up storage—businesses can free up that extra space to use in a more effective way. They can also save on costs by leasing a smaller office.
Business agility and the ability to adapt
The days of running hive-like workplaces filled with cubicles and computers are diminishing. Instead of having to impose downtime on your operations to install updates on individual computers, the cloud allows everyone to access and upgrade in a manner of minutes. Since your worker bees are able to remotely retrieve any of their ongoing work, shared project files, and necessary data, your personnel enjoy more productivity and flexibility. The future of business collaboration is cloud-based, meaning that if you are part of that revolution, your business will benefit from the enhanced communication and networking tools that come with it.
Information sensibility and security
We were rightly concerned about information security in the beginning of the current tech age, but with hacking and leaks driving consumer demand for data protection, governments are implementing data security regulations and cloud service providers are offering more stringent safeguarding of clients’ information. Individual servers are no longer the way to go; the reality is today, safety comes in numbers as the shepherds of your IT security are vying for their market share—and your business.
The evolution of artificial intelligence
While the underlying nature of the cloud has always been fluid, the monitoring and resource allocation have always revolved around automation. The next logical step—and where we are heading—is the development of more intuitive, artificial intelligence. This will fuel more serverless computing technologies. Cloud enterprises won’t just stop at information storage and security, but will expand their offerings with analytics and messaging services. Ideas will go into the cloud and come out as software. Core business applications will expand to accommodate expansive needs.
Cloud providers will vie for you
Competition is not just about undercutting, but differentiation. As the cloud craze becomes a move towards multi-cloud functions, the major cloud providers will look to set themselves apart by playing up their strengths, be they AI credentials, workload migration, or other capabilities. We may see the rise of a number of major cloud providers at the expense of smaller entities with niche offerings, which will likely be rolled into the bigger players’ ranks.
It’s an exciting time to embrace the future and join the cloud, but now, more than ever, you will need to know at a deeper level what your business needs are in order to find the cloud provider that is most compatible with your objectives and goals.
If you know it’s your time to migrate to the cloud, your managed IT services provider will be happy to answer any questions you have about cloud computing and to help you decide what cloud services will best serve you and your business.