“The Cloud” is a term that you may have heard a lot, but you may be unsure about what it means. The cloud encompasses servers that are accessed via the Internet, as well as the databases and software that run on those servers.
Cloud servers are based in data centers worldwide. Through the use of cloud computing, businesses and users do not have to run software applications on their own machines or manage physical servers themselves. This can enable businesses to unlock numerous cost, efficiency, and security advantages.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the cloud computing future trends we expect to see throughout 2021.
1- AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is concerned with the creation of smart machines that perform tasks that would usually involve human intelligence. It encompasses a wide range of things, such as AI chatbot platforms, location services, and digital assistants. The aim of AI is to automate processes and repetitive or time-consuming tasks.
As businesses realized the benefits of implementing AI, it has experienced a huge amount of growth. By 2025, the global market value of AI is expected to surpass 89 billion annually.
Cloud computing and AI have a symbiotic relationship; AI powers cloud computing and cloud computing increases the scope of AI. They feed off each other.
In fact, there are several ways that AI is enhancing cloud computing. This includes being able to use dynamic cloud services, powering a self-managed cloud with AI, and delivering more value by embedding AI tools into their bigger software seaters so that the end-user can enjoy greater functionality.
Improved data management is another benefit of using AI in cloud computing. If you think about the vast data repositories companies generate and collect today, as well as managing this infrastructure, i.e. data identification, ingesting it, cataloguing it, and ensuring it is secure, then you see how AI can massively aid the process. AI streamlines the data process, improving accuracy and efficiency.
The trouble is that AI can be incredibly tricky, as it requires advanced technical skills, and it’s expensive to invest in, making it difficult for many businesses to implement. Due to this, AI used to be reserved for big tech companies. However, AI offered via the cloud makes it more accessible and competitively priced. More businesses can take advantage of it. Therefore, we expect AI to be one of the main cloud computing future trends in 2021.
Combining AI and cloud computing allows businesses to get the most out of both applications.
2- Multicloud
Multicloud is the use of multiple cloud computing and storage services in one network architecture.
A multicloud strategy is becoming popular because it gives businesses more control over what services they use. It enables businesses to use different cloud services from different providers, as some might be better at specific tasks than others.
For instance, some cloud platforms will have integrated machine learning capabilities, whereas others may specialise in the transfers of large data. Therefore, with this sort of approach you are always using the most appropriate provider for your needs.
Multicloud environments can also help businesses to achieve their goals in terms of compliance regulations, risk management, and governance.
Disaster avoidance is another key benefit. After all, outages do happen, whether through human error or because of a fluke incident. However, by utilizing multicloud replication, where data stored in multiple clouds is continuously protected and available, can provide a safeguard against unexpected events.
This is one of the most significant trends of recent times, with 93% of enterprises having already built a multicloud strategy.
So, what makes this one of the main cloud computing future trends? Well, moving forward in 2021 it will become less common for businesses to rely solely on one cloud provider. Instead, they will opt to tailor their software to desired needs.
3- Edge computing
Edge computing is similar to cloud computing in that it stores data and information online, but it stores it locally. It brings data storage closer to the devices being used, eliminating the need to rely on keeping data in a faraway, central location.
Edge computing can be incredibly useful for remote locations with slower connection, or offices where multiple people are trying to access the same data all at once. It is especially helpful when it comes to using systems that require a fast network, such as artificial intelligence. As you can see, a lot of these cloud trends are linked to one and other.
Not only does edge computing bring about more speed, but it can also help businesses to enhance their security levels as well. The inherently centralised nature of the traditional cloud computing architecture means that it is vulnerable to power outages and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. With edge computing, a single disruption is unlikely to take down the entire network. This is because applications,storage , and processing are distributed across various data centres and devices.
Edge computing also gives businesses greater scalability. It is hard to anticipate IT infrastructure requirements as your business grows, and building a dedicated data centre would be a costly undertaking. Thankfully, edge and cloud computing mean that scaling operations are easier than ever before.
Gartner has predicted that, by 2025, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be generated and processed at the edge. Furthermore, the global edge computing market is set to hit 43.4 billion by 2027.
4- Serverless computing
Despite its name, serverless computing is not the removal of servers completely in cloud computing. Serverless computing is a model in which the cloud provider allocates machine resources on demand, taking care of the servers on behalf of their customers. Essentially, it is a method of providing backend services on an as-used basis. Servers are still used, but a company that gets backend services from a serverless vendor is charged based on usage, not a fixed amount of bandwidth or number of servers.
Whilst serverless computing does use servers, developers never actually have to deal with them; thus the “serverless” aspect. Instead, servers are managed entirely by the vendor. This can be incredibly beneficial to developers as it allows them to create and expand applications without worrying about server capacity.
Furthermore, serverless computing can be cost effective, this is due to the fact that you only pay for what you use. Code only runs when backend functions are needed by the serverless application, it will also automatically scale up as and when it is needed. It is a bit like using a “pay-as-you-go” phone plan instead of a contract. As well as the cost effective nature of this system, it also means that developers do not need to pre-plan how much server capacity they will need, which can sometimes be inaccurate.
Another huge advantage of serverless computing is that it is easily scalable. These applications will automatically scale as the user base grows, or the usage increases. The flexibility of a serverless application means that if there is a rapid increase in usage, it can handle it as easily as it can handle a drastic decrease in usage. This differs from a traditional application with a set amount of storage, as it can easily become overwhelmed if there is a sudden usage increase.
With companies appreciating flexibility over a strict amount of storage, as well as being able to pay for exactly what they use instead of either overpaying or not having enough storage, it is no surprise that serverless computing is the next big trend in cloud computing.
Enhance Your Productivity With These Cloud Computing Trends
So there you have it: an insight into some of the cloud computing future trends that we can expect to see throughout 2021. As businesses widely embrace cloud computing today, we’re all looking for ways to unlock greater efficiency from it, and this is what the trends above represent. From AI to edge computing, businesses are able to enjoy greater speed, convenience, and productivity, giving them the platform to flourish.
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