More and more, companies realize the undeniable benefits of modernizing outdated systems, such as greater efficiency and reduced costs. As a result, cloud migration is increasingly becoming a top priority across industries.
A recent Google Cloud survey of more than 1,900 tech and business leaders found 41.4% intend to expand their investment in cloud products and services. In addition, 33.4% plan to migrate to the cloud from legacy enterprise software, and 38.2% will move from on-premises workloads. These respondents indicated cloud migration was a key strategy in responding to the volatile economic environment.
Clearly, the cloud is rapidly taking over business tech. But adopting new systems can be a non-linear process. A 2022 survey of FinOps practitioners shows 37.1% said their cloud’s maturity level was still in the “crawl” phase. Another 41.7% said they were in the “walk” phase, and 19.5% rated their systems as cutting edge.
Integrating cloud computing technology has become necessary for leaders in all sectors, even if they have yet to become experts in the tech. So, let’s examine cloud technology and why it’s essential. We’ll also look at how consultants and engineers are helping leaders fill these expertise gaps and find the right solutions.
The Future of Cloud Computing: Trends and Predictions
The cloud has transformed how people access data and applications by offering scalable and cost-effective storage solutions. By hosting various robust applications, cloud technology enables everything from data analytics to artificial intelligence (AI).
In the future, businesses will cement the cloud as a critical tool for their systems and use it to support essential functions such as programming and edge computing. Furthermore, widespread cloud migration has spurred technological innovation in the space. So, the already-advanced nature of these storage solutions will continue to improve.
Of course, every company presents a unique use case for cloud solutions. That’s why many companies are partnering with cloud application engineers who can leverage their expertise to deliver customized solutions. As a result, the future of cloud computing looks bright.
1. Cloud and Artificial Intelligence: The Symbiotic Relationship that Will Drive the Future
Combining AI with cloud technologies enhances the benefits of both digital solutions. For instance, federal agencies that adopted cloud and AI integrations saw increased access to advanced AI capabilities. As a result, the agencies could accelerate their experimentation with AI and replicate and scale their research activities.
Let’s further break down the benefits AI brings to the cloud to better understand why so many organizations are making this digital transformation. One significant advantage is the ability to simplify complex data pipeline orchestration. This means that issues such as batch or real-time data ingestion, ETL, lifecycle management, and role-based access management can be more effectively addressed using standard out-of-the-box services.
- Data Management: AI can analyze and combine the findings from different sources, while the cloud empowers companies to host larger data sets. Integrating these two technologies lets companies automatically generate more comprehensive insights to drive decision-making.
- Reduced Costs: Cloud solutions eliminate the costs associated with on-premise or legacy systems. Instead, subscription-based fees have the added benefits of easy scalability while removing the high hardware administration and maintenance costs and pay-as-you-go price model which is popular in cloud environments
- Data Access: Cloud migration comes with increased access, as companies can operate their system from any server. Plus, the cloud enables more software integrations. Cloud platforms host data marketplaces that offer easy access to third-party data and opportunities for monetizing your own data.
2. Cloud IoT: Scaling Internet of Things for the Future
Cloud integration significantly enhances the Internet of Things (IoT) by allowing multiple IoT devices to transmit data to the same place, enabled by the singular data storage of the cloud. This, in turn, allows for real-time analytics that can reduce response time and empower leaders to make more informed operational enhancements.
To understand the value of migrating IoT data to cloud storage, let’s examine its use in the healthcare industry to curb the spread of COVID-19. IoT tech tracked and uploaded key health metrics that were used to forecast the spread of the disease and monitor the health of remote patients. Diagnostic data flagged and alerted providers to critical anomalies in individual symptoms.
3. Edge Computing: Taking Cloud Technologies Closer to Everyone
Edge computing is a decentralized process. It occurs as close to the data sources as possible — generally at the ends of the network. The centralization of cloud storage perfectly complements this scattered computing method because it effectively compiles information generated from multiple diverse sources.
Many experts believe 5G is the future of edge computing. It expands the reach of data collection past what’s possible with wired infrastructure and circumnavigates standard bandwidth constraints. Additionally, edge computing will increasingly communicate critical operational factors like overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) in real time for more agile decision-making.
Key Benefits of Cloud Migration
Of course, any digital transformation will present a few challenges along the way. But cloud migration has proven to be worth the effort. The cloud’s benefits provide enough of a competitive operational edge that many companies can only maintain their place in the market by adopting this new technology.
Let’s examine each of the commonly cited vital benefits that drive the shift to the cloud:
- Scalability: Legacy systems have a finite capacity, but cloud usage can seamlessly adapt to your needs.
- Costs: The cloud is a pay-as-you-go model, meaning companies only pay for what they use. By contrast, maintaining legacy or on-premises infrastructure requires consistently high fees.
- Agility: Cloud migration enables scalability and increased access to managed services with new features.
- Access: Operations can be severely impacted if a breakdown occurs within a legacy system. However, the cloud enables access from anywhere.
- Analytics: The cloud offers some of the most sophisticated analytical tools. As a result, businesses enjoy greater and more accessible data-backed insights.
Navigate Cloud Migration with Growth Acceleration Partners
Cloud migration is quickly turning into an essential system upgrade for businesses across the board. So, the question isn’t whether you should upgrade to the cloud—you already know doing so is an operational and competitive necessity. The real question is which cloud solution is best for your company.
Growth Acceleration Partners (GAP) can help. Our world-class consulting and engineering teams can help set up an advanced cloud-based system specifically designed to meet your company’s unique needs. We have the expertise you need to successfully navigate cloud migration. Contact a GAP engineer today.
