The cloud computing market is increasing quickly as organisations and enterprises are using cloud computing for faster processes, scaling, and innovation. As we get into 2024, there are a number of cloud market trends driving IT in the future. These are the trends IT and business leaders can use to prepare themselves for what’s to come.

In this blog, let’s find out about five trends in the cloud market and how they will impact IT. From multi-cloud plans to the increasing use of edge computing, these are driving the way IT teams organise resources, provide services, and protect data.

The Rise of Multi-Cloud Strategies

What is multi-cloud?

Multi-cloud means deploying applications across multiple clouds (e.g., AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, etc.). This provides a more flexible, secure, and redundant service than having to depend on a single vendor.

Why It’s a Trend

Multi-cloud plans are becoming common among companies to get out of vendor lock-in, gain resilience, and manage their cloud assets. With multiple cloud providers delivering specialised solutions, businesses can design their IT systems around their business and pick which tool is right for the job.

Impact on IT

• Greater Choice in Service Selection: IT will have to work with multiple cloud services from multiple vendors, which will demand better orchestration tools and more visibility into different platforms.
• Management Complexity: Administration of a multi-cloud environment can be more complex than in a single-cloud environment. IT administrators will need to pay for cloud management systems that can automate tasks and provide visibility on all cloud resources.
• Higher Security Priority: Since the data is being hosted on multiple cloud providers, security comes to the fore. IT professionals will need strong data encryption, identity, and access management processes for all the clouds to prevent data theft and unauthorised use.

The Expansion of Edge Computing

What is Edge Computing?

Edge computing involves computing at the edge where data comes in, not at the cloud data center. This can be especially helpful in applications where real-time data analysis and low latency are needed IoT devices, driverless cars, industrial automation, etc.

Why It’s a Trend

Since IoT devices are increasingly becoming part of our daily lives, faster data processing and the use of edge computing are the future of the cloud. By working at the edge, companies will get lower latency, higher performance, and lower bandwidth bills.

Impact on IT

• Decentralised Infrastructure: IT will have to be re-acquainted with a more decentralised infrastructure, where data gets aggregated on a mix of on-premises servers, cloud data centers, and edge devices.
• New Security Threats: Edge computing also presents new security threats since information gets collected and moved around to various locations in increasingly remote settings. They will have to use more security measures such as device authentication, encryption, and network protocols from IT departments.
• Hybridisation with Cloud Services: Edge computing will not overtake cloud; it will complement it. IT personnel will need to make sure that edge devices, on-premises servers, and clouds are integrated into a common infrastructure.

The Growth of Cloud-Native Technologies

What is Cloud-Native Technologies?

These are the applications and services designed for the cloud. Containerisation, microservices, Kubernetes, and serverless are a few of these that leverage the full power of the cloud’s scalability, adaptability, and automation.

Why It’s a Trend

Cloud-native technology lets businesses develop and scale applications fast and cheaply. They provide faster development cycles, agility, and lower operating expenses. With more companies taking digital transformation to the next level, the adoption of cloud-based technologies is growing faster.

Impact on IT

• Higher DevOps Uptake: As companies go cloud native, IT teams will need to leverage DevOps for development, testing, and deployment automation. DevOps technologies such as Jenkins, Kubernetes, and Docker will be a must for the faster software delivery.
• Skills Deficit: With cloud-native tools and platforms coming, you’ll also need more people with knowledge of containerisation, Kubernetes, microservices, and serverless computing. IT organisations will have to invest in preparing their staff for this.
• Scalability and Efficiency: Cloud-native technologies can be used by organisations to rapidly scale applications as the business demands change. It’s going to be a win for IT departments to be agile and be able to deliver on customer demands more quickly and effectively.

Increased Focus on Cloud Security

Why Is Security a New Issue to Mention?

Cloud security has been on the agenda as businesses shift to the cloud. The cloud systems are vulnerable to different types of attacks like security breaches, unauthorised access, and hacking. As of now, 80% of companies reported a cloud security incident in the past year.

Why It’s a Trend

More sensitive data in the cloud and more multi-cloud environments have made it even more vulnerable to breaches. This has forced enterprises to become more serious about the security of their cloud infrastructure and protecting their data from attackers.

Impact on IT

• Better Security Products: IT organisations will be forced to adopt new security products and practices designed specifically for the cloud, including cloud access security brokers (CASBs), encryption, and threat intelligence platforms.
• ZT Security will become mainstream: Zero Trust security, which considers all users and devices to be untrusted until proved otherwise, will become standard in the cloud. Identity and access management (IAM) policies with Zero Trust support will also have to be implemented by IT teams.
• Partnering with Cloud Providers: IT experts will partner more with cloud providers to get security policies in place. This can range from highly-specific SLAs (service level agreements) for uptime and security to shared responsibility models for cloud security.

Cloud Services and AI/ML Integration with AI/ML

AI/ML in the Cloud: What Is It?

AI & Machine Learning (ML): AI/ML is the process by which computers can learn from data and predict or take actions automatically. AI and ML tools are being built into more and more cloud platforms, which makes it very simple for companies to utilise them without requiring any infrastructure to develop and operate.

Why It’s a Trend

AI and ML can change so many business processes, from customer service chatbots to predictive analytics. Since cloud providers provide pre-built AI and ML tools, enterprises don’t need any special hardware or know-how to get started.

Impact on IT

• Automation and Optimisation: AI and ML can also be used to automate the IT basics like network administration, data analysis, anomaly detection, etc. This will liberate IT departments for more strategic projects and increase efficiency.
• Better Data Analytics: AI and ML platforms will allow IT teams to process millions of records in real-time and find patterns that previously weren’t visible. This will enable companies to take data-driven actions in less time.
• IT Team Skills Need New Skill Sets: As AI/ML will be increasingly interconnected with cloud solutions, IT teams will have to acquire new skills like machine learning algorithms, data science, and AI model deployment.

Conclusion

The computing environment of the cloud is changing very fast, and IT professionals need to be up-to-date with the new trends to control the cloud infrastructure, improve efficiency, and protect data. These are the latest market trends in the cloud sector, right from the proliferation of multi-cloud strategies to AI/ML fusions, which are sure to transform the business approach to IT. IT operations need to be well informed about these trends if they are to keep up with the competition. The IT teams have to keep up, learn new tricks, use new tools, and think differently about how they will utilise these changes. The cloud is IT’s future, and all these are driving a more connected, mobile, and intelligent planet.