Cloud computing continues to transform the way organization are doing business, proving to be a transformative innovation for many enterprises. Considering how far the cloud has come in recent years spurs questions of what the future will look like and what types of changes we can expect.

1. The Future of Cloud Computing
Cloud computing continues to transform the way organization are doing business, proving to be a
transformative innovation for many enterprises. Considering how far the cloud has come in recent
years spurs questions of what the future will look like and what types of changes we can expect.
IDC predicting rapid, continued growth of major global cloud data centers. But in four years, there
will only be six to eight major cloud infrastructure-as-a-service vendors remaining on a global scale.
There will be significant consolidation determining who is and isn't a cloud infrastructure provider,
and developers and solutions will gather around a relatively small number of cloud platforms,
according to IDC analyst Frank Gens.
The evolution of data-centric platforms, including Hadoop services, streaming data services, and in-
memory databases, also is gaining visibility. In the coming years, 75 to 80 percent of new cloud
applications will be data-intensive, and data is becoming much more strategic than applications.
IDC anticipates a tenfold increase in new cloud solutions on top of IDC's "third platform" --
consisting of mobile, cloud, and big data -- in the next four years. Many of these applications could
be big data-intensive.
Also on the rise will be Internet of Everything, with more devices of varying types getting connected
to the Internet. "There's an amazing amount of innovation and creativity happening in what things
you can connect to the Internet," with devices ranging from cars to glasses to toothbrushes getting
linked, Gens said. "We're going to see an unbelievable growth in this edge, the Internet of

2. everything. In fact, we believe we'll see a doubling in the Internet-connected edge devices over the
next five years." These devices, he said, will fuel a major expansion in new killer app
Broadly, the future for cloud computing will include clearly defined and standards-based security
solutions and technology that will enable enterprises to retain full control of their sensitive
information assets while continuing to move more business functions online (thereby reducing IT
and other costs).
Cloud Computing is Basic Computing
Only five years ago, the cloud was only murmured about with doubt or debate. Today, technology
experts anticipate that cloud computing will become the standard for accessing back-end
applications and collecting information within the next year. Forbes contributor Joe McKendrick
states, “The biggest news for cloud computing is that it will not be news. It’s the way we do
computing today.”
Public Cloud Vs. Private Cloud Applications
At the enterprise level, the use of public cloud applications will continue and increase across IaaS,
Saas and PaaS. Private cloud will continue to be the preferred approach where feasible, but at the
enterprise app layer (applications like CRM, Human Capital Resource Management and IT Service
Management) public cloud SaaS apps will reign. As more companies enter the cloud application
provider space, they will work to gain critical competitive advantages over the rest of the pack and
enterprises will benefit from the associated innovations providers produce.
Improved Security and Reliability of Cloud Computing
In the coming years, cloud application providers will proactively tout the improved security and
reliability measures they are putting in place. In fact, you’ll see them visibly differentiating on
security and compliance. Cloud processes and techniques for securing data in motion will be
dramatically improved. A key part of this will be ensuring that a variety of protections and risk
mitigation techniques are available to enterprise customers that will require a multi-faceted approach
to controlling their data stewardship and application use. Giving enterprises the ability to control
data assets, throughout their entire lifecycle, will allow cloud providers and their ISV partners to
address legal and legislative blockers to cloud adoption. Auditing and monitoring will also be
improved and more predictive and alerting capabilities will be built directly into the cloud services.
Coveted App Developers
Because the cloud makes applications more crucial to business offerings, it is only logical that the
role of app developers becomes equally vital for revenue growth. In the past, companies were quick
to overlook app development because of its high cost; many organizations removed app
development from their business and instead outsourced app services. However, the agility that
cloud computing provides to data collection has begun to outweigh its cost, and thus, it is likely that

3. more app developers will be hired at major enterprises, or specialized agencies that subcontract
cloud services will grow in 2014. IDC expects a threefold increase in the number of developers in
the cloud during the next several years.
Growth in Cloud for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses
Forrester Research predicts that small and mid-sized businesses spending on cloud solutions are
expected to grow 20% in the next five years. These businesses cite the security benefits that cloud
solutions have provided, as well as the ability to fund new activities like better customer service
because of the time and cost savings by using the cloud, according to a recent Microsoft study.
Increased Cloud Specialization
Tech professionals await the development of more differentiated cloud solutions, such as services
targeted specifically to healthcare, finance, or government. Engates, the CTO of open cloud
company Rackspace, states, “Up until recently, most of the cloud technology out there has been
general-purpose platforms. The question is how do we make the cloud better for certain types of
activities?” The emergence of companies with “community cloud” solutions, or services specialized
for particular industries, has been slow to mature but is expected to break ground and expand in
2014.
Personal use of the Cloud Access and Storage
It’s easy to see that at the current time, more and more data transactions are moving to the cloud, this
increase, however, is still dampened by a general distrust for cloud storage. Over the next few years,
as more and more people become aware of the convenience of using the cloud to access their data,
cloud storage will become commonplace. As users become more enamored of the easy, instant, and
individualized access to tools and information that working in the cloud offers, privacy and security
will be pushed to the back of their minds. It may take a few more years before people’s comfort level
with the tradeoff between security and privacy is reached. But that time will come, and cloud storage
and cloud access will become the norm.
References
http://www.infoworld.com/t/cloud-computing/cloud-computings-future-bigger-fewer-options-
238300
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-uretsky/the-future-of-cloud-hosti_1_b_4632226.html
http://perspecsys.com/future-cloud-computing/
http://techpageone.dell.com/technology/future-cloud-computing/#.U2XiuijLJc9
http://www.businesstoday.org/articles/2014/01/top-10-predictions-on-the-future-of-the-cloud-in-
2014/
http://www.mbtmag.com/articles/2014/04/what-future-holds-cloud-computing