Much of 2011 saw the rise of cloud computing solutions as small, medium and large enterprise companies. Many of these companies actively pursued both small and large-scale data solutions on a shoestring budget. As the cost of traditional data management skyrocketed (i.e. servers, data centers, etc), companies have been considering the implications of cloud-based data management and protection. This brought on an explosion in cloud-based startups all over the world, as well as host of pros and cons. Questions have surfaced about the stability of the cloud, and what this means for the future of enterprise data management. Here are four major things you can expect to see happen in the cloud computing industry through 2012.
1. Emergency Protection
Outages are a major concern, particularly in the realm of large enterprise-level cloud storage companies. As large companies are loosening their budgetary belts in 2012, they are likely to aggressively seek out higher-quality service providers. Cheap is no longer the standard. With millions of dollars worth of sensitive data management needs, companies are turning to cloud service providers, like cloud computing by Salesforce, with a solid history of excellence, and crisis management. Additionally, we will probably see the emergence of disaster recovery firms to aid in this process.
2. Hybrid Cloud Computing Solutions
The raging debate of private cloud vs. public cloud is endless. The question posed by many cloud computing experts is, why not both? Emerging cloud service providers are actively seeking to end this debate with hybrid cloud services that combine proprietary technology linked to both private and public cloud-based management systems. The problem is that many IT professionals are dead-set on private and closed cloud systems, while less knowledgeable cloud computing advocates push for public and open systems. Hybrid cloud computing solutions will aim to bridge the gap, and create a system that efficiently manages both large and small-scale datasets. Still, you can expect the debate to rage on until hybrid systems become the norm.
3. Cloud Expansion
In 2011, we saw a rise in cloud services. 2012 will be similar, only new and emerging technologies will come to the forefront of the conversation. If these new cloud technologies catch on in a big way, we will see a huge expansion in cloud service providers over the next year or two. As always, there will be some initial pushback from the IT bigwigs in the international market, but large scale cloud adoption is inevitable.
4. Cloud Security
Security is the most important concern in the cloud computing industry. In fact, the issue of security is the single issue that could make or break emerging cloud service providers, and the entire industry as a whole. The last few years saw a significant rise in public and open cloud-based data management. With the Wikileaks scandals, and outages at Amazon and other major cloud players, security will be the biggest cloud computing issue of 2012. In fact, there are hosts of international startups whose focus is primarily providing large-scale encryption and security support for cloud computing service providers, especially in the cloud storage and virtualization sectors.
Natasha is writer and bloger, tech lover, currently interested in cloud computing, virtual servers and other popular tech related trends.
