Looking Ahead to Cloud Services in 2014 and Beyond

Cloud solutions have grown to yield approximately $111 billion annually, and by 2016, Gartner predicts that annual cloud revenue will reach $200 billion. With such exponential growth on the horizon, there is a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on new endeavors and address the growing need for cloud migration solutions.

With 2013 coming to a close, now is the perfect time to take a look back at the evolution of cloud solutions—to realize how far we’ve come and what we’ve learned, as well as understand where we’re going next.

As the evolution of cloud computing becomes more realized and adopted, cloud models will shift. With this in mind, there is an even greater focus on the development of integrated solutions.

Assessing the needs of the early adopters of cloud services is also a focus area. What solutions work well with particular business models? How are the different cloud solutions packages measuring up in terms of customer satisfaction? Have cloud business needs shifted? These are all questions we should be asking to capitalize on future opportunities for growth in the cloud.

The seamlessness of the cloud has sparked interest in an area likely to become a huge opportunity as cloud services continue to mature: intercloud migration. Also known as “cloud hopping,” intercloud migration has great potential as a key focal area of growth in the cloud solutions segment.

As the partner community continues to adapt to the capabilities and functionalities of various cloud service providers—and as new cloud vendors enter the channel—the intercloud migration phenomenon will begin to trend upward. With today’s cloud models, the size and scalability needed for successful migration is arguably available. However, as the shift in cloud computing solutions continues to transform, scalability will need to expand to best meet growing and changing business needs.

With that in mind, known brand names in cloud communities that are mainstream today may not be the conventional choice tomorrow. The landscape is changing constantly, and solution providers are looking for more profitable solutions, a better experience and flexibility to best meet end user demand. As functionality preferences, price, features and competitive messaging evolve, so will the offerings.

Aligning business models to best complement the shift in cloud computing solutions is also key. This will have an impact on security, which I anticipate will prompt continued software innovation and increased opportunities. In addition, channel partners will further seek to leverage educational platforms, enablement tools and research, placing a greater importance on strategic partnerships, including the utilization of IT trade associations.

The potential of cloud solutions is significant and multi-layered, and its true success depends on all of us—through our collective adoption and enablement. The sooner that we as an industry are educated, understand and embrace the value of cloud for the end user, the sooner we can begin to truly capitalize on everything that the cloud has to offer.

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