Partner Article

Cloud Trends to Watch in 2016

For businesses of all sizes, cloud technology has come to occupy a premier role in the IT estate. For start-ups and one man bands to large enterprises, the cloud offers greater levels of flexibility, agility and scalability than ever before.

Businesses across the UK have embraced the myriad of benefits cloud computing offers. In 2015, over four in five organisations in Britain had formally adopted at least one cloud computing service, an increase from 78 per cent in 2014, with the vast majority reporting satisfaction with them. At the beginning of 2016, it’s becoming clear that cloud is delivering what the industry said it would and making good on the promises of the early days.

But what do the next twelve months have in store? Ash Patel, Director Business Transformation at Cobweb Solutions, shares his thoughts on the key cloud trends to watch out for in 2016:

Businesses will rely on technology partners

To provide the cloud services they need to succeed, businesses are turning to their technology partners. Yet with so many new services coming online, partners face a challenge when it comes to acquiring the diverse skill set required to give their customers the cloud experience they are looking for, across what could be a very rapidly expanding set of services.

For cloud service providers, the challenge is to establish exactly what the cloud can offer end users. This goes beyond simply a return on investment for 2016 and should seek to counterbalance the persistent uncertainty and doubt resulting from high profile data leaks and hacks in the media.

Cloud adoption will increase

The current rate of cloud uptake suggests that by the end of 2016 the UK should be hitting adoption rates of around 90 per cent. As this increases, the next twelve months will see many businesses expanding their cloud service portfolio from email security, storage and backup, to more advanced solutions such as applications and hosted desktops. We will see improvements in current-generation cloud environments and offerings as well as completely new technologies for application developers to take advantage of.

It’s also very likely that cloud adoption will continue to be driven by the solutions from well-known vendors such as Microsoft, building on brand recognition built up from before the cloud era.

Partners need to up their game

As end users become ever more conversant with cloud services, technology partners pursuing new business will need to up their game if they are focused on only the low hanging fruit of cloud services. To encourage firms to expand upon their current cloud investments, cloud providers need to provide advanced, tailored solutions. For this reason, expect to see increased service diversification from partners and a flowering of the choices available to end users.

To stay ahead of the curve, existing cloud service providers, resellers and traditional hosting businesses should become more solution driven and focus on building strong, collaborative partnerships. Smart ecosystems comprising of complementary, easy-to-integrate cloud services will form, and users will expect their cloud solution providers to be able to integrate services on demand if they want to keep their customers.

Hybrid cloud will become mainstream

When it comes to cloud adoption, it’s not always possible for companies to be ‘all-in’. Legacy solutions, compliance, and a host of considerations can keep elements of an IT roadmap anchored on-premise. But as cloud adoption increases, this year, solutions and services built to support the hybrid model are set to flourish.

Security concerns remain on the forefront of the agenda

Among businesses, confusion has long reigned over the legal, security and regulatory issues surrounding cloud computing. As the number one brake on cloud adoption rates, security will continue to be an important theme over the months ahead. Yet, according to CIF’s latest research, 99 per cent of organisations have in fact never experienced a breach of security, demonstrating that there is in fact a disconnect between cloud perception and reality.

In 2016 then, given the fact that high profile breaches will occur, it’s likely that there will be a more sophisticated focus on what these mean and if the root cause can be attributed to cloud security or other factors. With greater familiarity of both cloud and security, a deeper understanding of the true nature of security will – slowly – come about.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ash Patel .