Where cloud computing is heading this year

While experts have different opinions on where cloud computing may be headed in 2015, all of them agree on one thing – cloud computing is here to stay.

Predictions for cloud computing in 2015

Cloud computing is big business right now. Currently, 66% of data is on the cloud and that number is expected to increase to 73% over the next 2 years. Here is how experts think the storage of that data will evolve this year:

Price reduction

Increased competition means lower prices for consumers. The “cloud price wars” have been going on for some time now, but we can expect to see even lower subscription prices in 2015.

Shift in vendors

Those low prices are going to cause a shift in cloud vendors. Small companies will be unable to compete with the large ones and will be forced to close or become a cloud vendor for a niche audience. Large companies, such as IBM, Cisco and HP, are going to see a huge increase in consumers with their new low prices. The increase is expected to be so large that these companies may reach point where joint ventures and partnerships will be the only way they can store that much data.

Security issues – Corporate cloud

Sorry, IT professionals, cloud security is going to continue to be an issue. The cloud offers plenty of advantages in comparison to on-site data storage, but even a slightly tech-savvy employee can get around security controls. Experts will continue to try and come up solutions this year, but will constantly be faced with evolving threats.

Security issues – Personal cloud

Google and Apple dominate the cloud industry for personal use and some users don’t even know they are signed up for these services. For example, it is very easy to accidently sign up for Apple’s cloud services when you get a new Apple product. Whether or not employees are aware of their personal cloud use, it is unlikely they are as careful with their data as they should be. This will cause problems for IT professionals because these cloud-connected devices are often used to sign on to work networks.

There may be risks with running your business on the cloud, but as Inc. said, 94% of organizations want to or already run their computing services on the cloud, so resistance is futile. We are going to have to rise up to the cloud computing challenge.