Cloud Computing spending will increase by 100% in 2016

There is still much confusion about Cloud Computing. The concept has become a ‘hype’, a catch-all term. However, Cloud Computing is no smokescreen, especially in this BYOD era. Gartner expects Cloud Computing spending to increase faster than general IT spending, and even predicts an increase of 100% in 2016.

Cloud computing is not a technology in itself, but rather a term that encompasses many technologies, such as big data, Platform as a Service (PaaS), private cloud computing - new terms that have emerged in recent months. But, in the meantime, more “classic” forms of cloud computing have also become quite popular, such as Software as a Service (SaaS) and virtualisation.

The principle is very simple: all servers, networks and applications are available (via the Internet) to IT departments and end users, often via data centres. The benefits are twofold: you can rely on data centres offering a 100% uptime guarantee, but you can also count on scalability: according to your needs, more or less computing power and servers are put at your disposal in the data centre. It is actually as if you just paid for what you use.

Another phenomenon is responsible for the spectacular rise of Cloud Computing: BYOD or Bring Your Own Device. An increasing number of staff members use their own smartphone or tablet to get access to business data and applications via the Internet. This phenomenon offers benefits, because users can take care of maintenance on their terminal themselves, so that the IT department does not waste time with it, but it also has several drawbacks such as risks in terms of security and data theft of loss. A smartphone with business data falling into wrong hands could be a disaster!

In any event, Cloud Computing is an irreversible trend. Gartner even predicts that the worldwide market for public cloud services will rise from $91 billion in 2011 to $109 billion in 2012, and even $207 billion in 2016, an increase of 100%. This, of course, represents a huge challenge for classic hardware and software vendors, but it is also a great opportunity to create new services such as cloud integration and customisation, installation of hybrid clouds, etc.

However, Gartner also calls for caution. On the one hand, the term has become a ‘hype’, which makes traditional companies distrustful of this phenomenon and might keep them from wanting to make the transition. On the other hand, cloud computing does not necessarily allow to save money – it must be chosen thoughtfully and implemented correctly.

The Combell pages presenting Cloud hosting (Infrastructure Hosting, Public & Private Cloud, Cloud configurator) should get you on the right path.