A few years ago, cloud, whether public or private, solutions were buzzwords. Many technology thought leaders predicted that these would be the industry’s “next big thing”. Fast forward to the year 2020, the prediction came into fruition with businesses adopting data-driven models, remote and hybrid work environments, and global supply networks. A study states that the global private cloud solution market alone, valued at $3,703 million in 2016, is estimated to reach $14,111 million in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 21.1% from 2017 to 2023. There are similar figures for hybrid cloud management, edge computing, and public cloud, which only establishes that these solutions are seen as a critical component for companies who wish to work smarter and accomplish projects more quickly.

Most businesses have speeded up their cloud journey to enable new ways of working and developing future resilience. They’ve come a long way, but there’s still a lot of ground to cover. Cloud computing is not a one-time endeavour. It’s a lifelong commitment, similar to learning a language. Companies need to keep refining their approach to achieve excellence. Hence, there is a need for a paradigm shift from cloud migration to modernization. With that focus in mind, these are the top trends emerging this year of 2022.

– Rise of Hybrid Cloud and hybrid cloud management platforms

Cost is the key factor for many companies who are migrating to the cloud. Therefore hybrid cloud becomes the most preferable choice in terms of higher security and being cost effective to scale operations and meet higher demands. Additionally, with the rise of multi-cloud, IT infrastructures have become more complex to handle. As of now, hybrid cloud is at an early adoption stage, and organizations across all verticals are implementing it to support their remote workforce. As per a report, a rapid increase in the private cloud solution adoption is driving the hybrid cloud market. This market is only expected to touch an aggregate of $241.13 billion by 2022. It’s only logical to infer that the technical aspects require to handle hybrid cloud will lead the companies to choose various hybrid cloud management tools based on their advantages such as:

A. Aggregating services: Shows services and applications running on multiple cloud environments in one place and allows them to be managed as a single unit.
B. Managing costs: Allows users to set flexible policies for cost across cloud solutions and maximize the return on investment.
C. Self-servicing with ease: Allows users to run, consume, and terminate workloads without them having to worry about the underlying infrastructure.
D.Migrating workloads: Provides automation, fast and low-risk options for migrating workloads from private to public cloud environments and vice versa.

– Popularity of Kubernetes

The renowned container orchestration platform – Kubernetes is set to have its breakout year in 2022. Kubernetes, which was first released as an open-source project by Google in 2014 and is now managed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, automates several activities related to the administration and deployment of containerized applications. Developers are increasingly drawn to the platform because it enables a new approach to application development based on a microservices architecture. It is all due to the fact that K8s provide a perfect and consolidated API for deployment and containers. According to a study, which was based on responses from 3,800 people between November 2020 and February 2021, 31 percent of all backend engineers utilize Kubernetes currently, equating to almost 5.6 million developers globally. The figures emphasize that enterprises have made significant progress in adopting cloud-native technologies in public, private, and hybrid environments. Kubernetes private cloud cluster assures efficient deployment and a fully budget-friendly management cost, making it a go-to solution for this year.

– Fast emerging dedicated private cloud services

Popular cloud service providers such as UnitedPrivateCloud, Cisco Systems, Dell Inc., HP Inc, IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and others offer private cloud services such as SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS to host, manage, and operate all types of cloud services in a private deployment model. Private cloud services offer all types of users, including large and small and medium businesses, convenient access to servers, networks, and storage either on premises or on a separate infrastructure which is provided by these cloud providers. Allied Market Research’s findings state that due to the rise in ICT expenditure by governments in various developed and developing regions, such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the global private cloud services market is predicted to grow rapidly. A report from Infoholic Research suggests that Dedicated (Private) Cloud Services, which comprises hosted private cloud services and the fast-growing Dedicated Cloud Infrastructure–as-a-Service (DCIaaS) segment, would expand at a quicker 31.0 percent CAGR in 2021, although from a considerably smaller revenue base of $5 billion. The reason behind this is simple, migrating workloads from public to private cloud solutions ensures tailored services, less risky, and better performance. An enterprise-grade private cloud such as UnitedPrivateCloud has such advantages and even more with a guaranteed 30% lower costs than the leading public clouds.

– Edge computing is set for growth

There has been an abundance of the usage of smart devices which has put a strain on internet infrastructure, leading cloud-based companies to adapt and find new avenues to serve their customers. With edge computing, storing and processing data as close to the end user, this ever expanding requirement of real-time data and localized actions are being met. In fact, edge computing is getting traction in industry 4.0. Analytics insight states that the worldwide market for this technology is estimated to reach 10.9 billion USD this year, growing at a CAGR rate of 14%. The solutions backed up with this technology can take many forms be it from mobile in a vehicle or smartphone or static as a part of a building management system, manufacturing plant, or off-shore oil rig. They can also be used as a mixture of these two dynamics to be used in hospital or other medical settings. These diverse applications make edge computing more promising and expansive.

– Cloud security at the center of focus

The last 2 decades have been all about the booming of cloud computing. A lot of innovation has happened so far along the lines of serverless pieces of technology to the evolution of cloud automated security. On the plus side, these advancements have led to companies being more agile and reducing their costs of operation. On the flip side, the cloud computing progress has also led to an increase of the attack surfaces. That’s why organizations must have the right tools and processes in place to manage and secure their data throughout their cloud journey. MarketWatch predicts that the cloud security market size is expected to grow from USD 4.09 billion in 2017 to USD 12.73 billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 25.5%. The report further states that factors such as increased adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and Internet of Things (IoT0 trends, rise in adoption of cloud-based security solutions, increasing demand for cloud computing & increasing government initiatives, and emergence of smart cities are driving this exponential growth.

It goes without saying that the cloud helps employees, customers, and partners have better experiences. However, in order to achieve this, companies must foster a cloud culture in which employees welcome change and aren’t scared to try new things. The key to mastering cloud solutions in 2022 and beyond will be a cycle of continual learning, feedback, and innovation — with the correct controls in place.