Predictions, whether about the economy, fashion, or sports, are typically made early in the new year. Technology is no exception, and as more companies migrate to the cloud, industry experts reveal four top cloud computing drivers for 2018.

Cloud storage

Cisco estimates that the total cloud storage market will triple. We’re not surprised, since having copies of data backed up is one of the most generic cloud requirements applicable to every organization regardless of their industry or size.

And thanks to the increased availability of high-speed fiber internet, accessibility to data in the cloud is no longer an issue, causing cloud storage to become ubiquitous in modern business operations. In Gartner’s recent cloud backup survey, 42% of respondents said they plan to implement a cloud backup solution in 2018.

Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service

Gartner also predicts that the DRaaS market will grow from $2.01 billion in 2017 to $3.7 billion by the year 2021. These figures aren’t a far cry from reality when you take into consideration the plethora of natural and man-made disasters in 2017. Because of that, many business owners are finally doing what they should’ve done in the first place: implement a DRaaS solution.

Just like cloud storage, high-speed fiber broadband has made DRaaS a reliable and cost-effective solution for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Multi-cloud

Mixing cloud environments was a tedious and expensive process in the past, but that’s no longer the case today. 451 Research’s enterprise survey shows that 69% of enterprises will move to hybrid and multi-cloud environments by 2019.

This is because IT experts have spent much effort customizing and maintaining cloud technology, presenting us with more opportunities for integration and collaboration than ever before.

Multi-cloud environments -- a combination of public cloud, private cloud, or on-premises infrastructure -- allow companies to enhance security, flexibility, and control. This means being able to deploy a wider range of applications, eliminating a single point of failure, and managing data more effectively.

Analytics and machine learning

Deloitte predicts that the number of analytics and machine learning implementations will double this year, and it’s easy to see why. These cognitive technologies can analyze data much more accurately and quickly than today. They can improve cloud security by using behavioral analytics to detect threats, discover information about security from external sources, tweak security configurations in real time to respond to attacks and automate data protection, and fortify security policies. They can even be integrated into cloud applications to reduce power consumption and improve responsiveness.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by these four top cloud drivers in 2018, you shouldn’t be. Any experienced cloud provider will have no problem helping you navigate through these changes and leveraging the latest cloud advancements. If that’s not the case, or if you’re looking for a cloud partner to begin with, consider the SimplyClouds team. As a dedicated cloud provider, we have the experience and resources to provide cloud solutions that are simple and effective, as they should be. Just give us a call; we’re happy to advise.