cloud infographic – Quadratek

Kerry Butters

[INFOGRAPHIC] The Future of Cloud

[INFOGRAPHIC] The Future of Cloud https://quadratek.net/wp-content/themes/fildisi/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 Kerry Butters Kerry Butters https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=96&d=mm&r=g May 23, 2014 May 23, 2014

Whilst cloud computing is nothing new, it is a technology that’s taken a little while to gain real traction in business environments. This was due to a lack of confidence in aspects of cloud models such as security and the assumption in many circles that it was yet another buzzword that the technology sector had dreamt up.

To some extent the issue has also been the huge job that is deployment to the cloud, when thinking about moving entire infrastructures, or even just applications from the traditional onsite network to data centres which power the cloud.

However, over the course of the past couple of years, cloud computing has really begun to take off and it’s safe to say that it’s now becoming a trusted technology. According to the infographic below, courtesy of NerdGraph, by 2016 it’s thought that a huge two-thirds of all workloads will be processed in the cloud.

The stats don’t stop there though, all of the major cloud ‘as a service’ offerings are set for steady growth, with infrastructure seeing the largest at 11% and it’s thought that the use of Hybrid cloud will start to see a bigger increase, with a growth rate of 27% expected to rise to 47%.

Interestingly, it seems that whilst concerns surrounding security are steadily declining, now businesses are beginning to worry about price instead. It’s safe to say that virtualisation offers many cost benefits, so it’s unusual that this should become a top concern. For the most part, cloud services are offered on a ‘pay-as-you-go’ basis, with no upfront costs and the use of the cloud also cuts down the need for capital expenditure on server and networking equipment.

Whatever the concerns for businesses though, there’s no doubt that the cloud is now taking off properly and many companies are utilising its services in order to cut costs and become more flexible and therefore innovative.

If you’re considering moving to the cloud or even if you just want to know more about it and the benefits it can offer your business, then why not get in touch today for a no obligation chat on how we can help you get the most from the cloud.

Kerry Butters

[Infographic] The State of Cloud Adoption

[Infographic] The State of Cloud Adoption https://quadratek.net/wp-content/themes/fildisi/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg 150 150 Kerry Butters Kerry Butters https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=96&d=mm&r=g April 4, 2014 April 4, 2014

A 2013 infographic by Aryaka, containing results based on a survey carried out by Rightscale, shows that cloud adoption is no longer in question. For many companies, moving business processes to the cloud has become one of the best moves that they have made and the survey reflected this, showing that those who were early cloud adopters are now delving even deeper into the technology.

This isn’t any real surprise, as the cloud offers plenty of benefits to businesses both large and small. Whilst initial adoption was mostly seen in SaaS services, now we’re seeing an increasing in companies using IaaS.

The Rightscale survey found that 17% of those asked were starting to adopt cloud and develop pre-cloud deployment strategies. 26% were increasing investments into new cloud projects and just 8% of the 625 companies asked said that it’s now just a matter of time before they adopt the cloud.

Security Still a Worry for Many Firms

Amongst barriers to adoption, by far the most worrying for those asked was again security. Whilst there’s been a lot written around security, for many companies the thought of allowing data to be stored off premises is simply one step too far, despite evidence that shows many companies still don’t have an effective back up or disaster recovery plan in place.

Depending on the vendor chosen cloud remains the safer option, despite the ongoing concerns surrounding cloud storage. Data centres tend to have more robust procedures and in the event of hardware failure, data can easily be routed to another part of the network. Data centres also tend to be manned and to have good, well thought out disaster recovery plans in place.

The cloud also enables better finances, not least because of its ‘pay as you go’ nature. The reduced need for capital expenditure and the ability to give flexibility to employees is invaluable for many firms.

As we move further into 2014, it’s likely that we’ll start to see even more confidence in the cloud though. We have the proof now that many companies have adopted the cloud that it’s safe and so confidence is naturally improving. Cloud is no longer ‘just a buzzword’, it’s a tried and tested business model that’s enabling many companies the opportunity to become more scalable, agile and productive.

Have you moved to the cloud yet?

Need help deciding which cloud services to use? Give us a call and we will be happy to offer advice on deployment. We can help if you’re a cloud vendor too, so give us a call if you’re thinking about designing or moving a data centre.