Cloud computing had a big year in 2014. We have seen hundreds of organisations - big and small - begin moving their IT infrastructure and software into a cloud environment. The benefits speak for themselves: cloud computing enables mobility and improves office productivity and efficiency.
Cloud computing is set for another big year in 2015. A report by IBM predicts that by 2015, there will be one trillion cloud-ready devices connected to the internet. As a result, more and more employees will be using their personal and company devices to access important work information via cloud-based services.
With that in mind, let’s look at four cloud computing trends we will see in 2015 and discuss how your organisation can take advantage of them.
1. Mobile cloud computing is on the rise
Our work patterns and habits are changing. No longer are we glued to our office chairs. More of us are out meeting with clients onsite, working from home and checking email on the plane or bus. This change in behaviour is driving the uptake of mobile cloud computing. Most of the one trillion cloud-ready devices connected to the internet that IBM predicts for 2015 will be mobile devices.
This growth will facilitate an influx of new mobile cloud technology. For example, your favourite software applications will have user-friendly mobile apps and sites. Your email will work seamlessly across your mobile, tablet and PC. Cloud computing is enabling this movement to mobile because all the important data and software is hosted in a cloud environment - accessible instantly via the internet.
To take advantage of this trend, you should encourage your team to bring their personal mobile devices or use company mobile devices for work. This gives them the ability to access email on the go. Implementing mobile-friendly software applications that can make it easy for your team to input data and do their jobs right from their mobile device would benefit your organisation further.
If you can promote a mobile-first environment, you’ll be able to take advantage of increased productivity. No longer will your staff have nothing to do while they’re at the airport - they can answer emails and do other work from their mobile devices.
2. Organisations will use cloud services brokers (CSB)
2015 will be the year when organisations get bombarded and overwhelmed with the variety of cloud applications and software available to them. It’s going to get to a point where they need assistance with setting up and managing all these cloud services.
As a result, we’ll see an increase in cloud services brokers (CSBs). Organisations will see having someone with expertise responsible for the management and improvement of their cloud infrastructure as a huge advantage.
IT consultants can assist with choosing the right applications that work well together and assist with making strategic IT business decisions that work towards business goals.
3. Hybrid cloud will become the preferred model
According to Gartner, more organisations have stopped battling with public and private cloud trade-offs and started turning to a hybrid cloud model.
To date, private cloud has been the preferred option for most organisations, but they are now realising that that this is not a viable option for all their cloud services.
We are seeing organisations wanting to keep some data locally on their file server and others wanting to use a SaaS accounting solutions like Xero. For the most part, it’s becoming impossible to stick to the one cloud model.
In 2015, more organisations will recognise the benefits of using a mix of public cloud, private cloud and local, on-premise IT.
For your organisation, you should approach each IT decision with an open mind about what will be the best fit for your organisation. Make the best business decision - i.e. choose the best software or application that will meet your needs. Once you’ve identified the best solution, then you can evaluate whether a particular cloud model meets your requirements.
4. Security concerns on the decline
A study by Right Scale has found that security concerns around cloud computing are on the decline. Although still the most cited challenge among cloud beginners, concerns decreased by 13% from 2013 to 2014.
This is a sign that organisations are beginning to trust cloud computing and are willing to move more of their IT infrastructure to cloud services. Although there will still be some concern with passing the responsibility of an organisation’s data over to a third party, it shows that executives are warming up to the idea.
If you’re looking to take advantage of this trend, I’d suggest you not be afraid of the security concerns. Of course you must do your due diligence when engaging a cloud service provider, but don’t be too picky. To take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing, you will need to give up some responsibility. Choose a provider with a good track record that you can trust and you’ll put yourself in a good position to minimise any risk of data loss or a data breach.
Are you prepared to take advantage of these trends?
We all know an organisation or company that has been slow to adopt new technology and, as a result, faded away because they couldn’t keep up with the competition.
In two years’ time, can you afford to be that organisation?
Technology is advancing at incredible rates. There are now more and more opportunities to use IT as an enabler for your organisation. At the very least, you must have someone that can help you make strategic IT decisions. That might be someone inside your organisation or it might be a third party that is your trusted IT partner. Either way, they must be able to advise you on the latest technologies that can help your organisation create IT environments that can enable improved mobility, productivity and efficiency.
If you don’t have someone you can trust for this IT advice, we can certainly help. Give us a call on 1300 562 886 to see what new technologies are available to improve productivity, increase efficiencies and reduce IT costs.