2020 has been, without argument, a chaotic year so far. But despite the mayhem, the events of this year may have redefined predictions for 2021 in positive ways when it comes to cloud services.
It’s fair to say that cloud computing represents the backbone of the vast app-based and data-driven technology ecosystem that we have today. In fact, the cloud has revolutionized almost everything that societies digitally utilize, be it home delivery services, remote work, telemedicine, or banking, among many other areas of human activity. In this way, it can be even argued that the cloud has become somewhat indispensable.
Throughout 2020, the global emergence of the coronavirus pandemic has redefined jobs, pushing organizations large and small in scale to continue operations with staff working from home. A great shift towards the use of online collaboration and sharing tools and platforms, including video conferencing has been made. And this in turn has given cloud computing a much-needed jolt.
We’ve even made two great posts exploring the various major impacts COVID-19 has brought to cloud services. Check out this one that discusses the many ways you can optimize your expenses during the pandemic, and this one that explores how your company can stay competitive and accelerate your digital transformation in these trying times.
It’s true to say that any developments in the cloud industry are mostly very difficult to predict. Despite that, some of the biggest trends that characterize the cloud market are coming into even greater focus next year.
And so, without any further ado, check out the following three most disruptive trends that you’ll probably see a lot of in 2021.
The Giant Leap of Cloud-Native Technologies
Experts predict cloud-native technologies will play an integral part in distributed enterprise software over the next five years.
Serverless computing and container platforms are certainly drivers of fast innovation in the current cloud environment. They are, what we like to call, the “fundamental promoter” of the multi-cloud experience due to their efficient portability and scalability.
Kubernetes
As a prominent open-source container orchestration platform, Kubernetes remains to be a hot topic. In fact, we love Kubernetes so much we’ve written about how it’s changing the face of the cloud in this great post.
Containerization
Containers carry on to be one of the most commonly used cloud-native approaches due to their unique capabilities of transporting workloads and databases virtually anywhere, as well as managing processes in an isolated way.
In its recent research, Gartner forecasted the revenues for global container management to reach a staggering $950 million in the year 2024.
Serverless Computing
We’ve made sure to discuss the major disruptive benefits of serverless in another blog post. Take a look at it here.
The paradigm of serverless computing supports the multi-cloud notion by allowing companies to build services across various clouds using different approaches. Serverless will be most certainly explored further in 2021.
Artificial Intelligence As the Future of Cloud Computing
The Internet of Things (IoT) and AI remain to be the top trends in cloud computing today. These will still define the means by which technology reshapes our lives in 2021.
Efficient logistics processes, machine learning, smart city infrastructure, and self-driving vehicles among many others, are all areas of research where smart algorithms are being delivered through the cloud. In fact, many argue AI is one of the key enablers of various ways in which technology will be adapting to our needs in 2021.
AI algorithms effectively manage and monitor complex processes within IT environments including power usage, networks of hardware, and cooling systems with the goal of optimizing their running efficiency.
There is also a rising demand for a more ethical approach to AI use. Consumers now expect companies to think green when adopting artificial intelligence. Based on this growing trend, it seems that global organizations will increasingly opt in to deal with partners that adopt data ethics and handling practices that reflect the values of their stakeholders.
All things considered, AI will remain to be a breakthrough revolutionary field, most likely becoming more widely utilized in the near future by cloud-based enterprises of all sizes looking to increase their efficiency and productivity.
Rise of Multi-Cloud For A More Collaborative Approach
The business model behind some of the biggest cloud providers today such as Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and AWS promotes these platforms as a one-stop solution for all cloud needs. Their service offerings cover everything from an enterprise’s cloud to compute needs and data.
Despite this, the reality is that many organizations are increasingly turning towards using multi-cloud or hybrid environments where infrastructure has to be deployed across a number of different models.
What does that mean?
Simply put, there is a growing demand for giant cloud providers to get rid of the barriers between their platforms. Although this notion might seem contradictory to CSPs’ business models which are encouraging customers to stay “loyal” by purchasing greater amounts of cloud capacity in addition to any further service products, adopting a more collaborative approach to cloud enables enterprises to benefit from the growing multi-cloud trend. In fact, multi-cloud deployments are integral to cloud computing for a number of reasons, some of which are the great advantages it offers: lower latency, innovation, and risk mitigation.
CONCLUSION
It’s true that the ultimate recipe for disruptive technology innovation is constantly changing. Most of the approaches that have worked back in 2015 will simply not be as relevant in 2021.
That being said, some of the major trends in the cloud computing industry will certainly indicate a robust and strong growth in 2021. We believe that next year will bring in new developments and approaches that could finally make the true promise of the cloud a reality: reusability, efficiency, and scalability.
Have you heard of Clouve?
Simply put, Clouve is a one-stop-shop for all of your cloud consulting and solution needs. Whether you’re looking into migrating from a hosted infrastructure or considering a deployment architecture, our cloud experts will carefully plan your cloud journey from A to Z.
Learn more by getting in touch with us.
