Cloud computing trends: What’s on the horizon for 2022?

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What’s coming up in the world of cloud computing this year? Good question! We cover the top trends for 2022 and what you need to know to keep your organization competitive in the ever-changing world of cloud computing.

Being a good IT manager means always staying one step ahead of the game, anticipating the needs of your end users, and solving potential issues before they arise. Users want better business performance, and you want that for them.

Enter: cloud computing. 

In recent years, many companies have started to include cloud technology in their digital business plans. The outcome? They massively increased their growth and improved their efficiency.

In response, the cloud technology industry itself experienced massive growth. More tech companies felt empowered to develop innovative products, with the new capacity that the cloud affords them.

Now, businesses see cloud technology as standard, and they expect it in their daily operations. They want more powerful and efficient cloud services that help to create smoother workflows, especially with the current work context since the start of the pandemic. 

If you’re not on board yet, your organization needs to be soon to stay competitive. In a 2021 O’Reilly survey, 48% of participants said they plan to move most of their apps to a cloud in the coming year. And according to Gartner, companies will deploy 95% of new digital workloads on cloud-native platforms by 2025.

According to Gartner, companies will deploy 95% of new digital workloads on cloud-native platforms by 2025.

By embracing cloud technology, you’re moving your organization forward and committing to modernizing your company for the long term. Your users will thank you! But jumping onto the cloud computing trend won’t automatically translate into growth and success. IT managers need to consistently work on optimizing their company’s systems.

You need to know the latest information so you can actually reap the benefits. Yet in a world like cloud computing that’s constantly evolving, it’s hard to stay on top of things. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Together, let’s go over the top cloud computing trends for 2022. 


Multicloud and hybrid

Customizable, no-compromise solutions that give you agility in the market—that’s what you can expect to see expanding in 2022.

With previous cloud services, you could traditionally choose between private or public solutions. Public cloud offered more accessible, pay-as-you-go services. On the other hand, private cloud systems gave you more security for data storage.

With the emergence of hybrid cloud solutions, you get the best of both worlds. Services like Microsoft Azure allow you to keep some data on public servers, like data that customers need to access often and efficiently, while also giving you the option to keep sensitive data on private servers so that you can actively control and monitor it.

Services like Microsoft Azure allow you to keep some data on public servers while giving you the option to keep sensitive data on private servers so that you can actively control and monitor it.

Companies will benefit from embracing hybrid technology now, or face being left behind. According to Equinix, 93% of companies either expressed interest or already committed to hybrid cloud.

Beyond hybrid models, many companies want to incorporate multi-cloud solutions too. Hybrid combines the best of both worlds.

With multi-cloud services, you can use solutions from different providers. For example, customers can link the Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud systems. By doing so, you can take the best features from both.

With the arrival of hybrid and multi-cloud services, it’s now possible to create a tailored tech environment that aligns with your business’s long-term goals.


Artificial intelligence

It’s clear that consumers expect new software to incorporate artificial intelligence. As a result, 2022 will see cloud technologies continue to grow to meet the demand. Cloud computing will need to adapt to effectively deliver these services to consumers. 

Verified Market Research projects that the market value of artificial intelligence will reach $850.61 billion by 2028. To support this growing appetite, AI platforms need access to significant processing power and data bandwidth. Well-engineered cloud computing technologies can help ensure an artificial intelligence project succeeds.

Well-engineered cloud computing technologies can help ensure an artificial intelligence project succeeds.

Companies want to provide value to investors and consumers. With cloud technology, they can both maintain and scale these new platforms. AI platforms can stay reliable while enhancing the possibilities and potential impact. 

Best of all, cloud technology makes artificial intelligence more democratic and accessible, enabling organizations with smaller budgets to get on board.

Even better, by marrying artificial intelligence with cloud technology, developers create a mutually beneficial relationship. AI helps cloud services manage data while gaining insights that can be applied across the system.

Cloud technology makes AI more cost-effective so IT managers can help their companies save money on hardware and software with more reliable technology.


Serverless cloud technology

As an IT manager, you dream about streamlining your workload. Serverless cloud technology helps you get there by automating some of the more tedious tasks on your plate and helping to maintain your server infrastructure. 

Incorporating serverless cloud technology gives you more flexibility in terms of storage and bandwidth, without restrictive predetermined pricing.

Companies are implementing serverless cloud technology at a rapid rate. Research from Mordor Intelligence indicates that we can expect the demand for serverless technologies to grow 22.6% between 2021 and 2026.

With serverless, you don’t need to invest significant resources and capital upfront. It makes cloud technology more accessible, removing the barriers to this kind of technology and making it accessible to start-ups and smaller companies. With major providers offering solutions like Microsoft’s Azure Functions, it’s now possible for everyone to cash in on the competitive edge that cloud use provides.

With major providers offering solutions like Microsoft’s Azure Functions, it’s now possible for everyone to cash in on the competitive edge that cloud use provides

Serverless cloud technologies help companies scale fast while cutting down on costs. Since you only need to pay for actual usage, you can spend for what you need, and nothing more. You also don’t need to spend time or resources in procuring, managing, and upgrading server infrastructure, and customize it for your specific business requirements. 

Stop wasting time on network administration and instead devote your valuable resources to more important tasks like the development of UX and UI.


Cloud security

Clearly, implementing cloud technology into your organization can be a powerful decision. But you also need to consider how to mitigate your risk. You must implement data security to prevent bad actors from exploiting vulnerabilities.

It’s crucial to explore a software’s infrastructure before implementation. You don’t want to waste time or resources by not planning ahead. IT managers should proactively approach data security and compliance issues with intention. Look for potential weaknesses in your cloud system, develop the capacity to monitor, then act on insights efficiently. 

In 2022, companies will ramp up on their work to create projects that improve cloud security. To continue growth, businesses need innovation, particularly around data encryption and migration.

Developers will work on addressing many issues, including looking at bandwidth constraints and consequences from people using untrusted devices.  

Among these, we will see increased adoption of SASE, also known as secure access software edge. This emerging cybersecurity concept combines features like wide-area networking and network security services. Gartner predicts at least 40% of companies will create firm commitments to incorporate SASE in their toolkit. 

Gartner predicts at least 40% of companies will create firm commitments to incorporate SASE in their toolkit.

For companies, SASE will provide flexibility so they can deliver a wide range of security services, from web filtering to credential theft prevention. 

Like other cloud technologies, SASE will help cut costs, while reducing and simplifying IT workloads. As a result, companies can invest in increasing their performance. Most importantly, SASE can help prevent threats, while protecting all sensitive user data from unauthorized access.


Sustainability

Consumers want to see sustainability in all aspects of their life, including in their work, and their tech. To meet this demand, 2022 will see companies prioritizing sustainability with their innovation. More cloud companies will commit to using renewable energy sources for their operations. 

There’s a clear business case with financial incentives here. Companies with better environmental performance can see lower volatility, according to Accenture. They’ve also seen 4.7 times higher margins.

On the one hand, cloud computing can be more sustainable than local computing, reducing an individual company’s carbon footprint and physical waste.  According to a Google paper, companies could reduce energy consumption by 87% if they moved well-used software applications to the cloud.

However, cloud computing still impacts the environment. Greenpeace estimates that the technology sector could consume 20% of the world’s total electricity by 2025. Computing currently contributes 1.4% towards the global greenhouse gas footprint. Yet it’s forecasted to reach 14% by 2040.

With cloud computing clearly expanding, along with artificial intelligence, cloud providers need to adapt their services to protect our planet. 

Your users expect larger digital storage, with continuously more powerful computing engines. They expect digital infrastructure that’s available 24/7. Yet, your users also are passionate about reducing their ecological footprint.

IT managers need to focus on building digital services that are efficient, flexible, and durable that also align with their user’s values.


The future of cloud computing

More than ever, 2022 looks like an exciting time to be working in the information technology space. With cloud computing innovation ramping up, IT managers will have boundless opportunities to refresh their methods for maximum results.

Staying on top of current events will help you bring a forward-thinking approach to your work. It’s time to experiment with new ideas. We can’t wait to see what you accomplish!

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