Cloud Computing to Become an IT Staple By 2020

Although cloud computing has become mainstream within many organizations within the last few years, the reality is that the concept of transitioning from legacy IT systems to a cloud environment is still in its infancy.  While there are enterprises that have fully implemented cloud infrastructures, many others are still in the contemplation or planning phase.  In a report entitled “Sizing the Cloud” by Forrester, the research indicated that the global market for cloud computing is expected to reach $241 billion by the year 2020.  This represents a significant increase over $150 billion during the year 2011.  The report represents the first cloud industry research to classify the market sector and category expansion on the global scale which helps to forecast when each market sector will hit full capacity. As the demand for cloud computing increases new technologies will be developed to fully support new cloud initiatives and enterprise needs.  So what are some of the ways cloud computing may change by the end of this decade? Cloud Integration and iPaaS The current cloud IT software stack consists of three different layers which include IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) – this provides the basis on which systems are deployed, PaaS (Platform as a Service), which is the middle level that enables the integration of multiple applications as well as the development of advanced applications, and SaaS which provides the end-user applications that support business productivity. The development of the series of platforms that make up the cloud infrastructure with the absence of integration solutions has been a primary issue.  As cloud computing grows and more applications migrate to the new architecture there will be a growing need to find new ways to integrate the contrasting elements of a cloud model.  iPaaS platforms have been recently emerging and will be the next generation integration platform for integrating cloud computing applications both onsite and with legacy applications. Inexpensive Processing As it currently stands, 32-bit ARM architecture is being widely used however, Intel has been working on releasing an ARM chip which reduces power consumption and improves performance by utilizing 64-bit capability.  Although this technology will not be released until sometime next year and mostly applies to a family of microprocessors related to mobile devices, it is believed that high performance, low power consumption chips will make their way into server technology and storage classifications in cloud environments.  Some of the primary companies have already been providing ARM servers to many of the providers of cloud-based infrastructure. Faster Performance The increased need for application distribution on a massive scale coupled with the implementation of faster processing will result in data center that runs at much faster speed.  With the development of new technologies, data centers will eventually be able to deliver high performance cloud-based environments capable of running at speeds as fast as 200-300 GBPS (gigabits per second) at the onset.  This will also allow enterprises to get more accomplished in less time and at a lower cost than in-house legacy IT systems. Maintenance Automation The current cloud environments require reduced intervention on the part of IT professionals since many IT infrastructures can easily be controlled from a single interface as opposed to multiple locations that result from server sprawl.  As new technologies emerge for maintaining hardware and software applications as well as cloud security, cloud IT environments will basically be able to run themselves in terms of the automation of routine maintenance tasks, updates, and patch management.  This leaves even more time for enterprises to focus on the development of new IT initiatives which contribute to company growth. Cloud Specialization Instead of the differentiated cloud services such as IaaS, SaaS, and PaaS, cloud environments will become more specialized with more cloud providers offering customized services that would otherwise be carried out on company premises.  This will allow more enterprises to easily shift their workloads to the cloud without having to plan for data classification and their relationship with costly legacy IT systems. The 2020 cloud looks like a significant shift in the middleware PaaS model to an environment where customized solutions can easily be created.  Additionally, the private cloud will take precedence over a public cloud environment thanks to the development of new technologies which will place the virtual private cloud within reach for many enterprises and organizations.

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Our articles are written to provide you with tools and information to meet your IT and cloud solution needs. Join us on Facebook and Twitter.   About the Guest Author: Aeyne Schriber has more than two decades of accumulated experience in IT security, computer technology, and internet marketing, including technology education and administration field both on the public school and college level. She works worldwide helping companies establish an online presence from small businesses to large enterprises. Her skills as a published copywriter and marketer also include consulting and training corporate personnel and entrepreneurs. For more details, visit www.digitalnewmediamarketing.com