Cloud Computing Trends For 2013

Continual monitoring of cloud computing trends, with regular updates to the enterprise's cloud strategy, will be essential to avoid costly mistakes or miss market opportunities over the next few years, according to Gartner, Inc. Although the potential for cloud computing is significant, the breadth and depth of the impact, as well as the level of adoption over time, are uncertain and will require frequent review.

"Cloud computing is a major technology trend that has permeated the market over the last two years. It sets the stage for a new approach to IT that enables individuals and businesses to choose how they'll acquire or deliver IT services, with reduced emphasis on the constraints of traditional software and hardware licensing models," said David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow. "Cloud computing has a significant potential impact on every aspect of IT and how users access applications, information and business services."

"The trend and related technologies continue to evolve and change rapidly, and there is continuing confusion and misunderstanding as vendors increasingly hype 'cloud' as a marketing term," said David Mitchell Smith, vice president and Gartner Fellow. "This level of impact, confusion, uncertainty and change make cloud computing one of Gartner's top 10 strategic technology trends to address."

In 2012, cloud computing became a much bigger trend in the business and networking world. IDC have predicted a 130% increase in cloud computing by 2016, meaning an increase to $43 billion. Here are some of the five trends to look out for that are coming in 2013 which are going to help boost cloud computing in the long term;

Subscription

With more and more companies beginning to look into cloud computing, the hype is growing every day and more businesses are using it. Colleges are using it more and more to help store lecture data for easy access to the class. Businesses are using it to work from home, pick up easy access to documents and for sharing important company information. One of the big changes expected to appear in 2013 is the subscription model for Cloud computing. The idea is that you will only pay for how much data you need, rather than buying bulk for space that may never be used. It gives you a powerful security measure as well, knowing that your paid-up data is protected and accessible at any given time.

Recovery Services

Cloud computing gives you so much freedom, it could eventually start to replace backup companies as a cost-effective and easy to use way to back-up your whole company. Using resources that are only stored on the company intranet, it would be very good to be able to have important company documents stored online, saved and updated regularly. There has been more and more talk and actual action of smaller to medium businesses moving toward the cheaper cloud alternative, and the trends are showing that larger businesses are beginning to see the potential in cloud computing, too.

cloud computing

Security The one hold-back of cloud computing at this moment in time, is the lack of – or perceived lack of – quality in the defense it offers you and your data. Cloud computing however is improving all the time, and there is a continued effort to bring in new clients with more and more companies that provide cloud computing to produce a top quality safety structure. This is essential as cloud computing is all about protection and privacy anyway, so getting this right could really detonate the niche. This is surprising because you would imagine that a software as important as cloud computing would already have top-grade security.

Specific Designs

Much like when phone apps became big, more companies started to spend money on having a mobile app designed to complement the website. Restaurants perhaps seen the most use from this, as it gave them a new dimension and something to hook in potential customers with. Businesses are beginning to view cloud computing in the same light. It can be shifted and edited to make your organization more powerful and to give you a top of the range service which is very unique at present. As the trends show, more and more businesses are looking to leverage the power of the internet and using a modified version of cloud computing could be an extremely valuable tool for certain niches.

Hoarding

This may sound odd, but the term hoarders refers to people who just pile up crazy amounts of junk in their house and hold onto it for years, believing all of it to be extremely valuable. Well, cloud computing has been shown to be heading toward a budding trend of hoarders getting involved. More people are filling up their cloud compartments with random old files, and sentimental objects, that remind them of a previous time in their life. They do not want to delete these files permanently, but they don’t really intend on looking at them or using them ever again.