Top 8 Cloud Trends to Help Shape Your Digital Transformation Strategy for 2021 and Beyond

No digital transformation strategy is complete without cloud migration. Indeed, many organizations now kickstart their digitization efforts by setting up operations in the cloud. This may involve moving email operations to the cloud or even adopting cloud-based software development tools. Why? Because cloud computing is efficient and cost-effective. Moving your operations to the cloud means your entire team can access valuable files and other work resources anytime, anywhere. This boosts collaboration and enables remote work. Additionally, cloud computing enables two things critical to successful digital transformation – scalability, and integration. Successful digital integration requires enough “bandwidth” to expand or shrink operations on a need basis. More importantly, you need third-party integrations to achieve your goals. Read Also:

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Cloud Computing Trends to Shape Your Digital Transformation Strategy

Given the above reasons, we’ve rounded up eight cloud computing trends to help shape your digital transformation strategy in 2021 and beyond.

Edge is the new cloud

A prominent weak link in cloud computing today is that we only have a few servers from a few providers. Although the servers have thus provided enough bandwidth and speed to keep the word going, the limitations are being exposed by the ever-expanding internet of things. According to Entrepreneur, 127 devices are added to the IoT every second, translating to about 5.9 billion new devices per year. The cloud, as it is currently, cannot keep up the pace for long. That’s where edge computing comes in. Edge computing involves building localized data centers, thus creating millions of new servers across the globe. The result is reduced latency, increased bandwidth, and reduced cloud computing costs.

Hybrid the perfect compromise

There are two main types of cloud, i.e., public and private. Public clouds are available to everyone, while private clouds are only accessible to a select few subscribers. However, you might have realized that it’s not easy to survive explicitly on private or public clouds. Hybrid clouds allow you to enjoy the best of both worlds. You can move regular tasks to faster, more innovative public clouds to boost productivity while storing critical data on private clouds to take advantage of greater security and regulatory compliance. About 87% of cloud users use hybrid clouds.

Cloud “as a service?”

Yes, you should also strongly consider adopting “-as a service” cloud solutions. These include Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS solutions enable organizations to create and provide new services faster. These services are also more accessible to team members and customers. This can have a massive impact on the business’s bottom line. SaaS, for instance, now contributes $20 billion to the quarterly revenues of software vendors, a figure projected to grow 32% year-over-year for the foreseeable future. Disaster Relief as a Service and Workstation as a Service are other options to consider.

Security remains a thorn in the flesh

Cybercrime has increased sharply between 2020 and 2021, multiplying almost six times last year. According to many experts, the two main reasons for the sharp rise are the shift to remove work and the rapid adoption of cloud technology. Cloud-based file sharing and project collaboration have created new vulnerabilities to exploit. For this reason, you need to think long and hard about your cyber security plans as you roll out your digital transformation strategy. A popular solution is to acquire Cloud Security Access Brokers (CSABs) for centralized access control.

Cloud agnosticism

Related to security challenges is the increasing number of cloud outage incidents. Over the past year, organizations using the cloud have experienced 117 minutes of downtime on average. These downtimes can be very costly. More than 98% of those polled say a 60-hour downtime costs their organization over $100,000. More than 40% say they lose $1 million to $1.5 million for every hour of downtime. So, as you roll out your digital transformation strategy, you must think of ways to counter downtime. Many organizations use hybrid cloud computing as a solution. Splintering core businesses is another potential solution. You can also consider Disaster Relief as a Service.

Containerization for app reliability

Containerization is a computing term that refers to packaging an application and its dependencies in a lightweight, uniform set of libraries and APIs to make apps more dependable. Containerizing your application ensures that it exists alongside all its core components for faster loading and increased reliability. If you’re concerned about the weight of your apps and wish to do something about load times, you should strongly consider a cloud provider that offers containerized applications. Gartner predicts that 70% of global organizations will have at least two containerized apps by 2030, up from 20% today.

Clouds optimized for niche sectors

Traditionally, cloud providers compete based on speed, bandwidth, and security. A few also offer tailored services. But what if you can find a cloud service customized to your industry? For instance, imagine that you work in healthcare and can find a healthcare-specific cloud solution. How good would that be? This could soon become a reality, especially for industries with tighter regulations and privacy restrictions like healthcare, finance, and construction. Hundreds of cloud vendors are working on solutions optimized for the unique needs of these industries with a view to making adoption easier.

Cloud monitoring to capture insights

Finally, organizations must also design their digital transformation strategies with metrics in mind. Specifically, you need to think of ways to capture valuable data to give you an edge over your competitors. Monitoring is the solution, and many industry leaders know it. According to Mordo Intelligence, cloud monitoring investment will grow 22.7% over the next five years, topping $4.5 billion by the end of 2026. Many cloud users are embracing cloud coalitions, data fabrics, and AI to fast-track monitoring. The role of the cloud in digital transformation is undeniable. Indeed, in most cases, you need the cloud to facilitate a digital transformation. However, you must remember that the cloud, too, keeps evolving. A successful transformation requires leveraging emerging technologies to future-proof your systems.