Cloud computing is a future technology and is going to pervade in the future. It has a huge impact on how a business run. Almost everything in the digital world relates to the cloud in some way or another.
A cloud allows users to access applications, information, and data of all types on an online level. It does not store any data on your computer's hard drive so that you can access data from a remote server. Users get and share their information in a way that allows them to access and give access to the whole world or any groups of people within their cloud. Cloud technology has matured substantially during the past 15 years and the future of cloud computing is bright and will provide benefits to both the host and the customer.
The five cloud computing trends for organizations to consider while plotting an IT infrastructure strategy are:
1. Edge Computing
Edge computing is transforming the way data is being organized, processed, and delivered from millions of devices around the world. The volatile growth of the IoT (Internet of Things) along with other applications that require real-time computing power, continues to drive edge-computing systems.
Edge computing brings computation and data storage closer to the devices where it's being assembled, rather than relying on a localized datacenter which is miles away. This introduces rapid processing, low latency, and ultra-fast data transfers.
The major advantage of edge computing is the ability to process and store data faster, enabling more efficient real-time applications that are critical to companies. Before edge computing, a smartphone scanning a person's face for facial recognition would need to run the facial recognition algorithm through a cloud-based service, which might take a lot of time to process. With an edge computing model, the algorithm could run locally on an edge server or gateway, or even on the smartphone itself, given the increasing power of smartphones. Applications like virtual and augmented reality, self-driving cars, smart cities, and even building-automation systems require fast processing and response.
It's clear that while the primary goal for edge computing was to minimize bandwidth costs for IoT devices over long distances, the expansion of real-time applications that need local processing and storage capabilities will drive the technology forward over the approaching years.
2. Cloud Automation
Cloud automation allows developers to create, modify, and tear down resources on the cloud automatically. Cloud automation is not in-built, it requires expertise and the use of specialized tools. Cloud automation requires hard work, but it pays off when you get through the initial pain and gain the ability to perform complex tasks at the click of a button.
Infrastructure automation tools like Ansible and Terraform are already cloud-agnostic, meaning that the automation software is compatible with any cloud provider. These tools create an opportunity to automate the provisioning of identical and secure computing infrastructure into any cloud platform.
These automation tools allocate cloud-specific credentials, IP networks, and subnet allocations, as well as automating the integration to extended cloud services like cloud databases, cloud edge, or cloud directory services.
When implemented appropriately, cloud automation saves lots of time and money. It is more secure, faster and scalable when compared to performing tasks manually and also leads to fewer errors. It also frees developers from repetitive and manual administrative tasks so as to enable them to focus on higher-level work such as integrating higher-level cloud services or developing new product features.
3. Quantum Computing
Quantum computing is the future of computing. These quantum computers obtain computing power by tapping into quantum physics, unlike traditional computers. In theories, Quantum computers are lightning-fast compared to a typical Windows 10 PC or a MacOS PC; it's even faster than the most powerful supercomputers we've today. When users allowed to access quantum physics powered computers via the web, then it is quantum computing in the cloud.
The good news is that a lot of startups and technology giants, including Microsoft, IBM, and Google, recognize the value of making progress in this field, as this is indeed the next major step in technology and computing.
Quantum computing is the latest technology to catch the eyes of developers and cloud providers like AWS and Microsoft, but analysts predict it could still be years away from practical use.
4. Cloud Agnostic Strategy
A cloud-agnostic strategy allows you to switch cloud providers with a minimal headache if pricing, performance, or offerings change. It also means you'll be able to take a multi-cloud approach which sees workloads split between providers.
This means you won't miss out important features exclusively available from one or a limited number of providers. Simply run the workloads that feature benefits with the provider that provides it. And others on the cloud service of the providers whose offerings are optimal for them.
A cloud-agnostic strategy will help to optimize an organization's ROI, enhance security, improve performance, and above all, protect in the event of a disaster scenario. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this need greatly. Separating cloud services can protect a business if the local site was shut down due to staff having to work from home.
5. Containerization
The role of containers in cloud computing will continue to grow as new cloud-specific apps are developed–primarily because they're a faster path to better applications. As containers become a vital component of contemporary IT infrastructure, the importance of container security also becomes more critical.
DevOps teams deploy the containers of applications directly on top of a cloud application layer. Multiple programming languages are supported by Go, Python, and Java being some of the most popular. Developers focus on building the application container and the DevOps team focuses on implementing the application when needed.
Containerization creates portability between various platforms, enhance security and scalability as well as shoot up the application load times.
The five cloud computing trends we've discussed for 2020 and beyond have already started to supersede many businesses' cloud strategies. All five trends mentioned above are seeing significant growth and will continue to be embedded as digital transformation initiatives mature.