Cloud computing has become the norm. As of 2019, 94% of IT professionals were using the cloud in some form or another. This widespread adoption means that although it was once a novelty, it has now become a necessity.
Just because the cloud has become mainstream does not mean it is no longer a source of innovation. Rapid advances in technology as a whole, along with growing business demands, continue to drive cloud computing trends.
In the coming year, as more businesses and individuals rely on the cloud, the need for increased capability and stability will direct the path cloud computing takes. Below are listed seven trends in cloud computing that will emerge or grow in 2020.
There are currently more than 17 billion devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). This number is expected to grow to more than 75 billion by 2025. The skyrocketing amount of IoT devices makes the demand for edge computing more prevalent than ever.
As the IoT grows, so does its need for increased processing power and decreased latency. Edge computing, the practice of moving specific processes away from centralized servers to points closer to devices, can offer that. IoT technologies will see a vast improvement in performance if they can take advantage of a widely distributed infrastructure.
The cloud also holds great potential for increasing the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). AI can benefit companies in various ways, from optimized analytics to automating complex processes, but it has historically been out of reach of smaller businesses. With cloud computing, this might not be the case for long.
Cloud-based AI services are far more affordable and accessible. When more companies can implement AI, things like fraud detection, web security and customer satisfaction will increase across the board.
Although cloud storage offers a multitude of benefits to businesses, some are still hesitant to adopt it. Though on-premise storage is at risk of physical damage from any number of unforeseen circumstances, some companies use old applications that could not operate on the cloud. A hybrid cloud environment can account for those concerns.
Hybrid cloud adoption trends, such as Google Anthos, allow users to operate both on-premise and on the cloud. Businesses can control factors in Anthos and similar programs to slowly migrate their data over to a cloud-based system to reap the full benefits it has to offer. Hybrid cloud systems will help bring older companies into the modern world at a rate comfortable for them.
2020 will see businesses continue to move away from cloud-enabled applications in favor of cloud-native ones. The very nature of the internet is one of constant change, so any operation running on the cloud needs to adapt to the changes in its environment continually.
Cloud-native applications feature microservices that can update and debug without having to shut down or affect other parts of the process. These advantages are so promising, as many as 90% of all apps may feature these microservices by 2022. Dynamic processes require dynamic services, which is why cloud-native applications will continue to grow.
Part of the reason behind cloud innovations’ rapid expansion is open-sourced software. With multiple companies working in tandem, building upon what others have laid down, software improves at a record rate. The success of open-source software up to this point will spark its continued development.
Tools such as Kubernetes have led to some of the most impactful changes in cloud technology trends, like Google Anthos. This impressive track record will likely inspire more businesses to adopt open-source software into their operations or even build entire strategies off them.
For years, quantum computing has been more effective as a theory than an actuality. However, necessity is the mother of invention, and increased computing power and capacity will be in higher demand. Quantum computing will become more of a necessity, and the cloud can help finally bring it to fruition.
The cloud’s speed and resistance to backlogging make it fertile ground for quantum computing. Notable companies like Amazon have already begun to introduce cloud-based quantum computing services, bringing this once-distant future closer to the current age. Although cloud-based quantum computing is still in its early stages, the coming year will likely see it grow into something more viable.
Containerized applications will continue to grow as an alternative or supplement to virtual machines. As cloud activities expand, businesses will require increased speed, scalability and security. Containers offer all these compared to virtual machines.
Containers can also transfer effortlessly between different cloud services, which is ideal for companies operating on multi-cloud infrastructure. These applications have already been a standard among the public cloud, but they are starting to see exponential growth among private systems.
In many ways, the cloud computing trends of 2020 are extensions of those that came beforehand. The future lies within what is already established. The current advantages of the cloud will pave the way for its innovations to come.
By Kayla Matthews
