The ongoing mass adoption of cloud computing has been a key driver of many of the most transformative tech trends, including artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and remote and hybrid working. Going forward, we can expect to see it becoming an enabler of even more technologies, including virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), the metaverse, cloud gaming, and even quantum computing.

The Top 5 Cloud Computing Trends In 2023

Cloud computing makes this possible by removing the need to invest in buying and owning the expensive infrastructure required for these intensive computing applications. Instead, cloud service providers make it available "as-a-service," running on their own servers and data centers. It also means companies can, to some extent, avoid the hassle of hiring or training a highly specialized workforce if they want to take advantage of these breakthrough technologies.

In 2023 we can expect to see companies continuing to leverage cloud services in order to access new and innovative technologies as well as drive efficiencies in their own operations and processes. Heres a rundown of some of the trends that I believe will have the most impact.

Increased investment in cloud security and resilience

Migrating to the cloud brings huge opportunities, efficiencies, and convenience but also exposes companies and organizations to a new range of cybersecurity threats. On top of this, the growing pile of legislation around how businesses can store and use personal data means that the risk of fines or (even worse) losing the trust of their customers is a real problem.

As a result, spending on cyber security and building resilience against everything from data loss to the impact of a pandemic on global business will become even more of a priority during the coming year. However, as many companies look to cut costs in the face of a forecasted economic recession, the emphasis is likely to be on the search for innovative and cost-efficient ways of maintaining cyber security in order to get the most "bang for the buck." This will mean greater use of AI and predictive technology designed to spot threats before they cause problems, as well as an increase in the use of managed security-as-a-service providers in 2023.

Multi-cloud is an increasingly popular strategy

If 2022 was the year of hybrid cloud, then 2023 could be the year that businesses come to understand the advantages of diversifying their services across a number of cloud providers. This is a strategy known as taking a multi-cloud approach, and it offers a number of advantages, including improved flexibility and security.

It also prevents organizations from becoming too tied in to one particular ecosystem - a situation that can create challenges when cloud service providers change the applications they support or stop supporting particular applications altogether. And it helps to create redundancy that reduces the chance of system errors or downtime from causing a critical failure of business operations.

Adopting a multi-cloud infrastructure means moving away from potentially damaging business strategies such as building applications and processes solely around one particular cloud platform, e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure. The growing popularity of containerized applications means that in the event of changes to service levels, or more cost-efficient solutions becoming available from different providers, applications can be quickly ported across to new platforms. While back in 2020, most companies (70 percent) said they were still tied to one cloud service provider, reports have found that 84% of mid-to-large companies will have adopted a multi-cloud strategy by 2023, positioning it as one of the years defining trends in cloud computing.

The AI and ML-powered cloud

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are provided as cloud services because few businesses have the resources to build their own AI infrastructure. Gathering data and training algorithms require huge amounts of computing power and storage space that is generally more cost-efficient to rent as-a-service. Cloud service providers are increasingly relying on AI themselves for a number of tasks. This includes managing the vast, distributed networks needed to provide storage resources to their customers, regulating the power and cooling systems in data centers, and powering cyber security solutions that keep their data safe. In 2023, we can expect to see continued innovation in this field as hyper scale cloud service providers like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft continue to apply their own AI technology to create more efficient and cost-effective cloud services for their customers.

Low-code and no-code cloud services

Tools and platforms that allow anybody to create applications and to use data to solve problems without getting their hands dirty with writing computer code are increasingly popular. This category of low-code and no-code solutions includes tools for building websites, web applications and designing just about any kind of digital solutions that companies may need. Low-code and no-code solutions are even becoming available for creating AI-powered applications, drastically lowering the barriers to entry for companies wanting to leverage AI and ML. Many of these services are provided via the cloud meaning users can access them as-a-service without having to own the powerful computing infrastructure needed to run them themselves. Tools like Figma, Airtable, and Zoho allow users to carry out tasks that previously would have required coding experience, such as designing websites, automating spreadsheet tasks, and building web applications, and I see providing services like this as an area where cloud technology will become increasingly useful in 2023 and beyond.

Innovation and consolidation in cloud gaming

The cloud has brought us streaming services like Netflix and Spotify, which have revolutionized the way we consume movies, TV, and music. Streaming video gaming is taking a little longer to gain a foothold but is clearly on its way, with Microsoft, Sony, Nvidia, and Amazon all offering services in this field. It hasnt all been plain sailing, however Google spent millions of dollars developing their Stadia streaming gaming service only to retire it this year due to lack of commercial success. One of the problems is the networks themselves streaming video games clearly requires higher bandwidth than music or videos, meaning it's restricted to those of us with good quality high-speed internet access, which is still far from all of us. However, the ongoing rollout of 5G and other ultra-fast networking technologies should eventually solve this problem, and 2023 could be the year that cloud gaming will make an impact. Google themselves have said that the technology itself that powers Stadia will live on as the backbone of an in-development B2B game streaming service that will allow game developers to provide streaming functionality directly to their customers. If, as many predict, cloud gaming will become the killer app for 5G in the same way that streaming video was for 4G and streaming music was for 3G, then 2023 could be the year when we start to see things fall into place.

To stay on top of the latest on the latest business and tech trends, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and check out my books Tech Trends in Practice and Business Trends in Practice, which just won the 2022 Business Book of the Year award.

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The Top 5 Cloud Computing Trends In 2023 - Forbes

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Today, businesses are looking to operate more flexibly and cost-effectively. This has led to the rise of cloud computing as a viable solution for almost every business. Cloud computing uses a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet and accessible through standard web browsers or mobile apps.

It enables users to store data remotely, exchange files, and access software applications from anywhere with an internet connection. In addition, individuals and businesses that use the cloud can access their data from any computer or device connected to the internet, allowing them to sync their settings and files wherever they go.

There are many advantages to using cloud services for your business. Here are 10 benefits of cloud computing that can help you with your business.

One of the most significant benefits of cloud computing is its security. If you run your business on the cloud, you dont have to worry about protecting your data from hackers or other threats.

Cloud providers use industry-standard security practices to keep your data safe, including firewalls, encryption, and authentication systems.

You can further customize your businesss security settings if your business uses a private cloud. For example, if an employee loses or misplaces a device that has access to your data, you can remotely disable that device without putting your data at risk.

You can also encrypt your data to protect it against cyber threats. Businesses can also use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect their data further. MFA requires users to input a one-time passcode sent to their phone to log in and confirm their identity.

Another advantage of cloud computing is its scalability. Cloud providers offer scalable cloud solutions that you can adjust to meet your businesss needs.

You can scale up or down your system on demand to deal with seasonal traffic or unexpected spikes in usage. This allows you to avoid buying too much computing power and resources upfront and allows your business to adjust to changes in demand quickly.

You can also try out a cloud solution before you commit to it by renting a smaller instance for a trial period. Cloud solutions are also flexible enough for you to upgrade or downgrade your solutions as your business scales up or down.

This means that you dont have to buy more computing power than you need upfront, and you dont have to upgrade your systems again if your business starts to slow down.

Cloudcomputing can help you achieve greater flexibility and mobility if your business relies on people working remotely. With cloud solutions, you can access your data and run your applications from any computer or device connected to the internet.

When you can access all your data from anywhere, employees can work from home, in coffee shops, or other locations without sacrificing productivity. In addition, cloud providers offer a wide range of collaboration and communication tools that work with their services.

You can also use these tools to collaborate and communicate with clients and vendors who dont need access to your companys data.

Another advantage of cloud computing is its consistency. While different people and departments may use other devices and software, cloud solutions ensure everyone has a consistent experience.

This prevents miscommunications and ensures that everyone is on the same page. Whether you use Office 365, Google G Suite, Salesforce, or another cloud service, your business will have a consistent experience across platforms.

You can also use tools, like identity integration, to access information from different applications without switching between them.

Cloud solutions offer significant cost reductions over the long run compared to other IT solutions. You can save money on hardware, upgrades, and software licenses while enjoying a flexible and scalable solution.

Cloud providers handle all the maintenance and upgrade of their systems, so you dont have to worry about keeping up with the latest trends in IT.

Cloud solutions offer significant cost reductions over the long run compared to other IT solutions. You can save money on hardware, upgrades, and software licenses while enjoying a flexible and scalable solution.

You can easily integrate multiple cloud services to streamline your workflows if your business uses various cloud services.

Many cloud services have a wide range of integrations with other services that you can use to enhance your business processes. For example, you can use Salesforce to manage your leads and close rates and Zapier to link it with other business tools like Gmail, Mailchimp, and Google Calendar.

You can also use a hybrid cloud solution that lets you keep your data close to home while accessing additional IT services through the cloud.

Cloud solutions offer unlimited storage, unlike other data storage solutions like on-premise computers. So while you can scale down your cloud solution if you dont need as much storage for your data, you can also increase your storage later.

You can also use a hybrid solution to keep some of your data local while storing other data in the cloud.

Another advantage of cloud computing is faster performance. In addition, if you use the cloud, you arent limited by your hardware, and your systems are more scalable.

This means that your website and other business applications will perform faster without you having to make hardware upgrades.

You can also use a hybrid solution to improve your performance by keeping your most critical data close to home while accessing other data in the cloud.

Cloud solutions offer a collaborative online environment that lets you share important information with clients and vendors. You can use collaboration tools like wikis, blogs, and forums to work with team members and manage your projects.

You can also use collaboration tools to communicate with clients and vendors who dont need access to your companys data. These tools let you share documents, collaborate on tasks, and manage your workflow from a single platform.

Even though control is an essential aspect of a companys success, there are certain things that you cannot control. Whether your organization controls its own procedures or not, there are certain things that are out of your control. In todays market, even a small amount of downtime has a significant impact.

Business downtime leads to lost productivity, revenue, and reputation. Although you cant prevent or foresee all the catastrophes, there is something you can do to speed up your recovery. Cloud-based data recovery services provide quick recovery for emergency situations, such as natural disasters and electrical outages.

The range of benefits of Cloud computingmakes it a viable solution for almost every business. It offers many advantages that can help you streamline your workflow, achieve better performance, and operate more efficiently.

Suvigya Saxena is the Founder & CEO of Exato Software, a global ranking mobile, cloud computing and web app development company. With 15+ years of experience of IT Tech which are now global leaders with creative solutions, he is differentiated by out-of-the-box IT solutions throughout the domain.

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Benefits of Cloud Computing That Can Help You With Your Business 2023 - ReadWrite

Cloud computing is a great enabler for todays businesses for a variety of reasons. It helps companies, particularly small and medium enterprises jumpstart their operations sooner as there is very little lead time needed to stand up a full-fledged in-house IT infrastructure. Secondly, it eases the financial requirements by avoiding heavy capex and turning the IT costs into an opex model. Even more advantageous is the opex costs can be scaled up and down dynamically based on demand thus optimizing IT costs.

I think Cloud computing became a catalyst for the IoT industry and the proliferation that is seen today probably may not have happened in the absence of Cloud integration. Typically, IoT devices like sensors generate huge amounts of data that require both storage and processing thus making Cloud platforms the perfect choice for building IoT-based solutions. In an IoT implementation, apart from data assimilation there are some fundamental aspects like security, managing devices, etc. that needs to be considered and Cloud platforms take over some of these implementation aspects enabling the solution provider to focus on the core problem.

An interesting case study of how IoT and Cloud technologies can help to create innovative solutions was presented in a Microsoft conference few years back. Its a solution developed to monitor the pollution levels in Ganges which is a project sponsored by Central Pollution Control Board. For more information, readers could go to this link https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/cleaning-up-the-ganges-river-with-help-from-iot/

Digital technology in the financial services

When we talk about disruptive digital technologies in Financial Services industry, perhaps Blockchain is the one that stands out immediately. The concept of DLT (Decentralised Ledger Technology) has been around for some time and theres lots of interest in leveraging this technology primarily for transparency and efficiency reasons. After an article by Reserve Bank of India in 2020, many Indian banks responded to this initiative by starting to look at opportunities that involve DLT. For e.g. State Bank of India tied up with JP Morgan to use their Blockchain technology.

Adoption of Blockchain could simplify Inter-bank payment settlement and perhaps could be extended in future to cross-border payment settlements across different DLT platforms. It could also be used for settlement of securitized assets by putting them on a common ledger. Another application is using DLT for KYC whereby multiple agencies (like banks) can access customer data from a decentralized and secure database. In fact, EQ uses Blockchain in its product offering to privately funded companies and PEs for Cap table management.

The next one is probably Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) which is predominantly being applied in Financial Services industry in managing internal and external risks. AI-based algorithms now underpin risk-based pricing in Insurance sector and in reducing NPAs in the Banking sector. The technology helps banks predict defaults and take proactive measures to mitigate that risk.

In the Indian context, Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Aadhar-enabled Payment Service (AePS) are classic examples of disruptive products in financial services industry.

Effective Network Security acts as a gatekeeper

In todays connected world where much of the commerce happens online, its imperative businesses focus on security to safeguard them from threats in cyberspace. The recent approach to Network security is Zero Trust model which basically means never trusts any user/device unless verified. In this model, mutual authentication happens between the two entities in multiple ways, for e.g. using User credentials followed by a second factor like an OTP and sometimes application authentication happens through a digital certificate. The process also uses analytics and log analysis to detect abnormalities in user behaviour and enforce additional authenticating measures while sending alerts at the same time. This is something many of us might have come across when we try to connect to an application from a new device that the application is not aware of. The security mechanism might enforce additional authentication whilst sending an alert to us. Nowadays, businesses also use innovative methods of authentication like biometrics, voice recognition, etc. and some of these are powered by AI/ML.

Fintech players leverage Artificial Intelligence to bridge the gap in MSME lending

I think MSME lending (maybe Retail Lending too) is one of the segments significantly disrupted by technology. In a way, it has opened unconventional options for MSMEs to attract capital both for capex and working capital requirements. There are products ranging from P2P lending to Invoice Discounting offered by Fintech companies which is opening up a new market place. There are Fintech players interested in lending in this space and they use AI/ML models to predict probability of defaults and assess credit risk and appropriately hedge against them.

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Cloud Computing: A catalyst for the IoT Industry - SiliconIndia

The Cloud has been a significant contributor to the digital optimisation and transformation of businesses and institutions globally since the 2010s. It seems almost an eternity ago, when the IT department was essentially a support function, with KRAs around design and delivery of Information Technology Architecture encompassing Infrastructure, Data Centres and constituent servers, personal computers, software, networking and security systems, along with the associated, vendor evaluation, outsourcing, contracting, commissioning and finally aligning with business systems and goals, as this pre-millennium Research Gate paper indicates.

The one and a half decades since the advent of the millennium saw the rise of many trends, besides the cloud, such as shift from integrated to business specific applications, resulting data management and insights, globalisation, adoption of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), implosion of telecom, mobility and Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS), other technologies such as social media, E-commerce, Extended Reality, Digital Twins, AI/ ML, RPA, Internet of things, Blockchain and Chatbots and lastly, the growing skill-gaps and demands of talent.

The cloud has now taken over a major chunk of responsibilities pertaining to infrastructure, data centre, hosting, SaaS and architectural applications, platforms, networking and security functions thus freeing up the IT and Business Teams for leveraging technology for more strategic tasks related to operations, customers, R&D, supply chain and others. The cloud, hence enabled companies and institutions to leverage the amalgamation of technology, people and processes across their extended enterprises to have ongoing digital programmes for driving revenue, customer satisfaction, and profitability. The cloud can potentially add USD 1 Trillion of Economic Value across the Fortune 500 band of companies by 2030, as this research by McKinsey estimates.

Even before the pandemic, although the initial adoption of Cloud was in the SaaS applications, IaaS and PaaS was surely catching up, thus shifting away from the traditional Data Centre and On-premise Infrastructure. Gartners research way back in 2015 predicted a 30 % plus increase in the IaaS spending with the public cloud IaaS workloads finally surpassing those of on-premise loads. In the same year, Gartners similar paper highlighted significant growth in PaaS as well : both for Infrastructure and Application iPaaS.

The Cloud is adding significant value across Industry verticals and business functions, right from remote working with online meetings & collaboration tools, automated factory operations, extended reality, digital twins, remote field services and many others. The cloud has also been adopted as the platform for deploying other new technologies such as RPA and Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning (AI/ ML) Depending on industry best practices, business use cases and IT strategies, it became feasible to leverage infrastructure, assets, applications, assets, and software, in a true Hybrid / Multi/ Industry Cloud scenario with separate private and public cloud environments covering IaaS, PaaS, SaaS and MBaaS. As Platforms were maturing, organisations were furthermore transitioning from Virtual Machine and even from IaaS based solutions to PaaS based. Gartner had predicted in this research that by 2021, over 75% of enterprises and mid-sized organisations would adopt a hybrid or multi-cloud strategy.

There was also a clear transition from the traditional lift and shift to the cloud native approach, which makes full use of cloud elasticity and optimisation levers and moreover minimises technical debt and inefficiencies. This approach makes use of cloud computing to build and run microservices based scalable applications running in virtualised containers, orchestrated in the Container-as-a-service applications and managed and deployed using DevOps workflows. Microservices, container management, infrastructure as a code, serverless architectures, declarative code and continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) are the fundamental tenets of this cloud native approach. Organisations are balancing use of containerization along with leveraging the cloud hosting provider capabilities especially considering the extent of hybrid cloud, efforts and costs of container infrastructure and running commodity applications.

From the architecture standpoint, cloud-based composable architectures such as MACH- Microservices based, API-first, Cloud-native SaaS and Headless and Packaged business capabilities (PBCs) are increasingly being used in organisations for enhancing Digital Experience Platforms enabling customers, employees and supply chain with the new age Omnichannel experience. These architectures facilitate faster deployment and time to market through quick testing by sample populations and subsequent full-fledged implementations. These composable architectures help organisations in future proofing their IT investments, and improve business resilience and recovery with the ability to decouple and recouple the technology stacks. At the end of the 1st year of the pandemic, Gartner here highlighted the importance of composable architecture in its Hype Cycle of 2021 especially in business resilience and recovery during a crisis.

Intelligently deploying Serverless Computing in the architecture also enhances cloud native strategies immensely, thus enabling developers to focus on triggers and running function/ event-based computing, also resulting in more optimised cloud economics. Also, access to the cloud service providers Function-as-a-service (FaaS) and Backend-as-service (BaaS) models significantly reduce the IT environment transformation costs. This Deloitte Research illustrates the advantages that Serverless computing can bring about to retail operations.

To enhance their cloud native strategies, to further encourage citizen development, reducing over reliance on IT and bridging the IT-Business Gap, organisations are also making use of Low Code No Code (LCNC) tools and assembling, clearly shifting from application development. Citizen developers are making use of LCNC functionalities such as Drag and drop, pre-built User Interfaces, APIs and Connectors, one-click delivery and others to further augment their containerisation and microservices strategies. This Gartner Research predicts that 70% of new applications developed by organisations will use LCNC by 2025, well up from less than 25% in 2020.

Infrastructure and Data Management in the cloud are being immensely powered up by Automation and Orchestration. Especially in minimising manual efforts and errors in processes such as provisioning, configuring, sizing and auto-scaling, asset tagging, clustering and load balancing, performance monitoring, deploying, DevOps and CI/ CD testing and performance management. Further efficiencies are brought to fruition through automation especially in areas such as shutting down unutilised instances, backups, workflow version control, and establishing Infrastructure as Code (IAC). This further hence value-adds to robust cloud native architecture by enhancing containerisation, clustering, network configuration, storage connectivity, load balancing and managing the workload lifecycle, besides highlighting vulnerabilities and risks. Enterprises pursuing hybrid cloud strategies are hence driving automation in private clouds as well as integrating with public clouds by creating automation assets that perform resource codification across all private and public clouds and offer a single API. This McKinsey research highlights that companies that have adopted end-to-end automation in their cloud platforms and initiatives report a 20-40% increase in speed of releasing new capabilities to market. A similar report by Deloitte, mentions that intelligent automation in the cloud enables scale in just 4-12 months, compared to the earlier 6-24 months period, through streamlined development and deployment processes.

CIOs are also increasingly turning to distributed cloud models to address edge or location-based cloud use cases especially across Banks and Financial Institutions, Healthcare, Smart cities, and Manufacturing. It is expected that decentralised and distributed cloud computing will move from the initial private cloud substation deployments to an eventually Wi-Fi like distributed cloud substation ecosystems, especially considering the necessary availability, bandwidth and other operational and security aspects.

These rapid developments in the cloud ecosystems especially for hybrid and multi cloud environments have necessitated infrastructure and data management to encompass dashboards for end-to-end visibility of all the cloud resources and usage across providers, business functions, and departments. Governance and Compliance, Monitoring, Inventory Management, Patches and Version Control, Disaster Recovery, Hybrid Cloud Management Platforms (HCMP), Cloud Service Brokers (CSB) and other Tools aid companies in better Infrastructure Management in the Cloud, while catering to fluctuating demands and corresponding under and over utilisation scenarios, while continuously identifying pockets for optimisation and corrections. For companies with customers spread across diverse geographies, it is important to have tools for infrastructure management, global analytics, database engines and application architectures across these global Kubernetes clusters and Virtual Machines.

The vast increase in attack surfaces and potential breach points have necessitated CIOs and CISOs to incorporating robust security principles and tools within the Cloud Native ecosystem itself, through Cloud Security Platforms such as Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Cloud security posture management (CSPM), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), DevSecOps and incorporation of AI and ML in their proactive threat hunting and response systems. This is also critical in adhering to Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and Regulatory compliances, in with Zero Trust Architecture and Cyber Resilient frameworks and strategy. This McKinsey article highlights the importance of Security as Code (SaC) in cloud native strategies and its reliance on architecture and the right automation capabilities.

This EY article highlights the importance of cybersecurity in cloud native strategies as well as the corresponding considerations in processes, cyber security tools, architecture, risk management, skills and competencies and controls. Data Encryption and Load Protection, Identity and Access management, Extended Threat and Response Systems (XDR), Security Incident and Environment Management (SIEM), and Security Orchestration and Response (SOAR) tools that incorporate AI/ ML capabilities ensure more of proactive vis--vis a reactive response. Considering the vast information to ingest, store and analyse, organisations are also considering/ deploying Cyber Data Lakes as either alternatives or in conjunction to complement their SIEM ecosystems.

There is an increasing popularity of Financial Operations (FinOps) which is helping organisations to gain the maximum value from the cloud, through the cross functional involvement of business, finance, procurement, supply chain, engineering, DevOps/ DevSecOps and cloud operational teams. Augmented FinOps has been listed by Gartner in the 2022 Hype Cycle for emerging technologies here. FinOps immensely value-adds to infrastructure and data management in the cloud through dynamic and continuous sourcing and managing cloud consumption, demand mapping, crystallising the Total Cost of Ownership and Operations with end-to-end cost visibility and forecasting to make joint decisions and monitor comprehensive KPIs. Besides the cloud infrastructure management strategies listed in this section, FinOps also incorporates vendor management strategies and leveraging cloud carbon footprint tools for their organisations Sustainability Goals.

What about Data Management through the Cloud?

The 2nd half of the 2010s and especially the COVID-19 period have also resulted in an implosion of IoT, social media, E-commerce and other Digital Transformation. This has made organisations deal with diverse data sources residing on cloud, on-premise and on the edge, diversity in data sets across sensor, text, image, Audio-Visual, Voice, E-commerce, social media and others, and the volume of data that is now required to be ingested, managed and delivered on real-time and batch mode. Even before the pandemic, this implosion of unstructured data, necessitated companies to leverage Hadoop and other Open Source based Data Lakes besides their structured data residing in Data Warehouses. According to this Deloitte Article, for their surveyed CXOs, Data Modernisation is even a more critical aspect than cost and performance consideration for migrating to the cloud.

This research by Statista estimated the total worldwide data amount rose from 9 Zettabytes in 2013 to over 27 Zettabytes in 2021, and the prediction is this growing to well over 180 Zettabytes in 2025. Decentralised and distributed cloud computing, Web 3.0, the Metaverse and rise in Edge Computing will further contribute to this data growth.

Many organisations are looking at the Cloud as the future of data management as this article by Gartner states. As the cloud encompasses more and more data sources, this becomes more pivotal for data architects to have a deeper understanding of metadata and schema, the end-to-end data lifecycle pipeline of ingestion, cleaning, storage, analysis, delivery and visualisation, APIs, cloud automation and orchestration, Data Streaming, AI/ ML models, Analytics, Data Storage and Visualisation, as well as Governance and Security.

Data Architects are hence leveraging cloud computing in their strategies including scaling, elasticity and decoupling, ensuring high availability and optimal performance with relation to bursts and shutdowns, while optimising cost at the same time. The Data Teams are also deploying Automated and Active Cloud Data management covering classification, validation and governance with extensible and decoupling. There is also careful consideration for ensuring security for data at rest and in motion, as well as seamless data integration and sharing

It is also important to choose the right MetaData Strategy and consider options of Tiered apps with push-based services, pull-based ETL, and Event based Metadata. It is also worthwhile to stress upon the importance of having a robust Data Architecture/ DataOps culture as well, especially considering business and technology perspectives of the end-to-end data lifecycle right from data sources and ingestion, meta data and active data management, streaming, storage, analytics and visualisation. Deploying elasticity, AI/ ML and automation bring about immense benefits to the cloud native strategies.

Considering these aspects in Data Management, organisations have looking at ML and API powered Data Fabrics along with Data Lakes, Warehouses and Layers to manage this end-to-end data lifecycle by creating, maintaining and providing outputs to the consumers of this data, as this Gartner article on technology trends for 2022 highlights.

This article by McKinsey summarises the major pivot points in the data architecture ethos which are fundamentally based on Cloud with containerization and serverless data. These cover hybrid real time and batch data processing, shift from end-to-end COTS applications to modular best in function/ industry, move to APIs and decoupling, shift from centralised Data Warehousing to domain-based architecture and lastly from proprietary predefined datasets to data schema that is light and flexible, especially the NoSQL family.

For BFSI, Telecoms and other industry verticals which need customer data to reside locally, CXOs have been deploying Hybrid Data Management environments, that leverage Cloud Data Management tools to also automate, orchestrate, and re-use the on-premise data, thus providing a unified data model and access interface to both cloud and on-premise datasets.

Application of Automation and Orchestration in Data Storage also ensures prioritisation of processes, tasks and resources to balance speed, efficiency, usage and cost along with eliminating security vulnerabilities. This is especially applicable for tasks such as provisioning and configuration, capacity management, workflows and data migration, resource optimisation, software updates and data protection and disaster recovery. This World Economic Forum report right before the pandemic highlighted the fact that the conventional optical/ magnetic storage systems will be unable to handle this phenomenon for more than a century. CIOs and Leaders are hence leveraging automation and cloud, Storage-as-a Service (STaaS), decentralised Blockchain powered data storage and storage on the Edge, besides alternates to conventional electromagnetic/ optical data storage mechanism

What is the role of people and culture in this cloud powered data and infrastructure management ecosystem?

People, talent pool and organisation culture play a pivotal part in successful FinOps, cloud native and cloud data management strategies. In this dynamic and uncertain world, it is of paramount importance to have uniformity, alignment and resonance of business KPIs to best practices for Enterprise and Data Architecture, DevOps as well as those of Engineering, Finance, and Procurement. This environment of continuous evolution, and optimisation can be only brought about by an ethos of Communication, Trust, Change Management, Business-Finance-IT alignment, which are equally important cloud native strategies, Architecture, DevOps, DataOps, Security and other Engineering Talent Pools.

The continuing trends of the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting and Moonlighting necessitate a combination of having the best employee and vendor engagement strategies, a readily available talent pool of architects, analysts, engineers and other skillsets, as well as upskilling.

Winding up?

The Cloud has deeply impacted and revitalised Infrastructure and Data Management in all aspects in the workplace. As per this Deloitte research, it is ideal to leverage an equal mix of people, tools and approaches to address cloud complexity, and have a powerful, agile, elastic, secure and resilient virtual business infrastructure deriving maximum value from the cloud.

Cloud-centric digital infrastructure is a bedrock in the post COVID world, aligning technology with business to support digital transformation, resilience, governance along with business outcomes through a combination of operations, technology and deployment as mentioned in this IDC paper. This is so important in the increasing complexity of todays world across Public Cloud Infrastructure, On-Premises and on the Edge.

With continuing business uncertainty, competitiveness, customer, supplier and employee pressures and stringent IT budgets, organisations are looking at the Cloud to revitalise their Infrastructure and Data Management and gain maximum value.

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Revitalising data and infrastructure management through cloud - ETCIO South East Asia

The growing demand for high-efficiency computing across a range of industries, including financial, medical, research, government, and defense, as well as geological exploration and analysis, is a significant growth driver for the HPC Market.

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Verified Market Research recently published a report, "High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market" By Component (Solutions, Services), By Deployment Type (On-Premise, Cloud), By Server Price Band (USD 250,000500,000 And Above, USD 250,000100,000 And Below), By Application Area (Government And Defense, Education And Research), and By Geography.

According to the extensive research done by Verified Market Research experts, the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market size was valued at USD 34.85 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 65.12 Billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 7.20% from 2023 to 2030.

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Global High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market Overview

High-performance computing is the use of parallel processing to efficiently, consistently, and quickly operate big software programmes. High-Performance Computing is a technique that makes use of a sizable amount of computing power to offer high-performance capabilities for resolving various issues in the fields of engineering, business, and research. HPC systems refer to all types of servers and micro-servers used for highly computational or data-intensive applications. High-performance computing systems are those that can do 1012 floating-point operations per second, or one teraflop, on a computer.

One of the main factors influencing the growth of the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market is the ability of HPC solutions to swiftly and precisely process massive volumes of data. The increasing demand for high-efficiency computing across a range of industries, including financial, medical, research, exploration and study of the earth's crust, government, and defense, is one of the primary growth factors for the high-performance computing (HPC) market.

The rising need for high precision and quick data processing in various industries is one of the major drivers of the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market. The market will also grow exponentially over the course of the anticipated period as a result of the growing popularity of cloud computing and the government-led digitization initiatives.

The usage of HPC in cloud computing is what is driving the worldwide high-performance computing (HPC) market. Utilizing cloud computing platforms has a number of benefits, including scalability, flexibility, and availability. Cloud HPC offers a number of benefits, including low maintenance costs, adaptability, and economies of scale.

Additionally, HPC in the cloud gives businesses that are new to high-end computing the chance to form a larger community, enabling them to profit from cheap operating expenditure (OPEX) and overcome the challenges of power and cooling. As a result, it is anticipated that the growing usage of HPC in the cloud would significantly influence the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market.

Key Developments

Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements

Mergers and Acquisitions

Product Launches and Product Expansions

Key Players

The major players in the market are Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel Corporation, International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, NEC Corporation, Sugon Information Industry Co. Ltd, Fujistu Ltd, Microsoft Corporation, Dell Technologies Inc., Dassault Systemes SE, Lenovo Group Ltd, Amazon Web Series, and NVIDIA Corporation.

Verified Market Research has segmented the Global High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market On the basis of Component, Deployment Type, Server Price Band, Application Area, and Geography.

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High-Performance Computing (HPC) Market is expected to generate a revenue of USD 65.12 Billion by 2030, Globally, at 7.20% CAGR: Verified Market...

There are several trends pushing businessacross all industriestoward the cloud. For most organizations, the current way of doing business might not deliver the agility to grow, or may not provide the platform or flexibility to compete. The explosion of data created by an increasing number of digital businesses is pushing the cost and complexity of data center storage to new levelsdemanding new skills and analytics tools from IT.

Modern cloud solutions help companies meet the challenges of the digital age. Instead of managing their IT, organizations have the ability to respond quickly to a more fast-paced and complex business landscape. With modern cloud economics, the cloud delivers business value and reduces cost, helping enterprises achieve their full business potential with their cloud spend.

Cloud computing provides a superior alternative to traditional information technology, including these areas:

Cloud customers benefit from automatically having the latest innovations and emerging technologies built into their IT systems, because the cloud provider takes on the work of developing new capabilities and features.

Its about the speed of innovation. With the right cloud provider, customers can leverage a modern cloud computing architecture to innovate faster, increase productivity, and lower costs. Better yet, choosing a cloud provider that offers an integrated cloud (SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS) architecture gives businesses the ability to move from operations to innovation and deliver new apps and services, including the use of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Companies can harness the abundance of data to gain predictive insights into their businesses and ultimately drive better outcomes for their customers.

Moving to the cloud removes the headaches and costs of maintaining IT security. An experienced cloud provider continually invests in the latest security technologynot only to respond to potential threats, but also to enable customers to better meet their regulatory requirements.

The best cloud providers invest in every layer of cloud security as part of their overall design across global data center regions. Such a multilayer secure cloud approach offers security at the level the customers business requires.

Business processes describe how work is done from beginning to end. They are a good way to describe how people are working together today, how they would like to work together ideally, and how their work will be shaped with the introduction of new cloud technology. With an integrated cloud solution, organizations are better equipped to manage and assess the costs and benefits of technology projects.

For organizations that struggle with disconnected business processes and data silos, the cloud offers a way to transform their business operations. With the cloud, theres no need reinvent the process wheel. Complete cloud application suites are not modular but instead are connected, eliminating data silos and enabling integration and intelligent business decisions.

Finding a cloud provider that provides all three layers of the cloudin connected and unprecedented waysis essential. Moreover, businesses need a complete, integrated platform with intelligent solutions at every layer.

Read this article:

What is Cloud Computing? | Oracle

This article is an extract from GTDT Cloud Computing 2023. Click here for the full guide.

So where does the cloud market find itself in mid 2022? It is always illuminating to look back over the past year and pull out some trends and what these may mean for the cloud computing sector in 2023.

The market overall

Gartner again predicts yet more growth in spending on public cloud services, with its April 2022 figures forecasting 20.4 per cent growth in 2022, taking spending to US$494.7 billion and estimating that end-user spending will reach nearly US$600 billion in 2023. Software as a service (SaaS) remains the largest public cloud services market segment, forecasted to reach US$176.6 billion in end-user spending in 2022. Cloud providers are also driving revenue from emerging technologies in cloud computing such as hyperscale edge computing and secure access service edge. A 2021 Markets and Markets report estimates that the global computing market size could reach US$947 billion by 2026, with the hybrid cloud segment to be the larger contributor to the overall size of the cloud computing market. A Flexera user survey indicates that 8 per cent of all respondents spend more than US$60 million, and more than half spend over US$2.4 million on public cloud each year (with public cloud spend even more significant among larger organisations).

Interestingly, some investors are querying whether cloud company revenue growth will continue on the trajectory predicted by market analysts. Data from Bessemer Venture Partners Cloud 100 index does show revenue multiples for cloud companies dropping significantly as between June 2021 and June 2022 but whether this marks a long-term downward trend or just reflects a return to historical norms after covid remains to be seen.

And zooming out further, it is uncertain whether the current geopolitical climate will affect investor sentiment in new tech and if this will have consequences for the cloud computing model. Given it is cheaper, and allows for scaleability, will this shield the sector from the effects of a prolonged economic downturn? Or does it mean there is no room for further efficiency savings to be made? This could also have a knock-on impact on investment in other new tech (such as blockchain, AI) and potentially increase appetite for business process outsourcing or offshoring or increased regional spread of data processing or hosting activity across a country.

Key markets

Its also worth looking at the key global markets for cloud to see changes in adoption patterns and emerging trends. MIT Technology Reviews Global Cloud Ecosystem Index 2022 assesses four themes (infrastructure, ecosystem adoption, security and assurance and talent) and their role in promoting the availability of cloud services worldwide. It ranks 76 nations and territories on the technology, regulations and talent they use to promote cloud computing services. Singapore leads the Index overall, given its cloud-first strategy (begun in 2018) that has benefited from a central government commitment and an ability to cultivate collaboration and cooperation across a nationwide digital transformation project. After Singapore, the rest of the Indexs top 10 places are taken by European countries that seek to balance the rights of digital consumers (by means of the EU General Data Protection Regulation) and also make determined efforts to tackle monopolistic practices in the tech sector. Singapores digital transformation means it now has an estimated 600 government systems in the cloud, and Microsoft has recently been engaged by its safety and defence departments to develop a sovereign cloud.

What about those countries ranked lower in the Index? African nations form 7 of the 10 lowest ranked countries, predominantly due to the continents sparse broadband and data centre resources. It is estimated that to serve its increasing computing needs, the continent must develop 700 data centres, yet there are currently only 80 in service, and 70 per cent of that capacity sits in a single country (South Africa). We are seeing public commitments of US$2 billion to build more data centres (with African technology firms such as Africa Data Centres committing funds to expand the data centre network). Google Cloud also announced a dedicated US$1 billion five-year investment across Africa to support digital transformation efforts.

It is worth considering whether the distribution of data centres (and the attendant growth of cloud computing) will be affected by the new geographical markets for operators. We are seeing existing operators increasingly encouraged to relocate or move their operations to developing countries to take advantage of lower wage costs and renting costs. At the same time, the EU is concerned to promote data localisation to maintain EU data sovereignty in respect of EU citizens personal data, which is driving partitioning of cloud service provider markets. Amid this, are there opportunities for smaller operators to exploit niche opportunities?

Trends in cloud use

Increased demand for cloud services reflects too a diversification in the use of cloud infrastructure services (particularly in healthcare and the public sector). The impact of the pandemic is still being felt, with cloud used to support permanent patterns of remote working, learning, gaming and streaming, as well as now entrenched patterns of consumer online purchasing. We also anticipate that early adopter interest in the metaverse will continue to drive demand for scaleable cloud services, as will more cloud-native application development. This growing use case will need to be supported by continued investment in cloud resource, and while the lifting of pandemic restrictions in most parts of the world has led to increased market confidence, the sharp economic shock that has followed Russias invasion of Ukraine and the dramatic spike in oil and commodities prices may temper the rampant rate of growth in IT investment in 2022 and 2023.

Recent Cloud Industry Forum research also underlines the integral role that the cloud continues to play in the ongoing transformation of businesses. Almost all respondents (96 per cent) said cloud has saved their organisation money. Despite this, 37per cent said that it is easier to source CAPEX budget than OPEX, suggesting that more needs to be done help businesses move away from older, less flexible CAPEX models. It is also clear that businesses consider cloud very important or critical for digital transformation (given its reliability in supporting technological development in the face of the pandemic and the recent economic downturn) global health. It also appears that hybrid IT is the direction of travel for most organisations. The average proportion of IT infrastructure located in cloud is now 48 per cent, which is actually a decline from 50 per cent in 2020. While only a small reduction, it suggests that barriers to further adoption remain, possibly exacerbated by the pandemic.

Market dominance

Long-term dominance of the cloud market by the top 5 IaaS providers is now being scrutinised by the regulators, given that the market is deep, but not at all broad. June 2022 Gartner figures suggest Amazon retained the No. 1 position in the IaaS market in 2021, followed by Microsoft, Alibaba, Google and Huawei, with the top 5 providers accounting for over 80 per cent of the market in 2021. Amazon continued to lead the worldwide IaaS market with revenue of $35.4 billion in 2021 and 38.9 per cent market share. Alibaba (the third-largest provider) leads the Chinese cloud market, it is also poised to be the leading regional provider in Indonesia, Malaysia, and other emerging cloud markets. Commentators are expressing disquiet about the consolidation of the worlds digital ecosystem in the hands of an incredibly small cohort of companies. Analysts at Canalys estimate that nearly two-thirds of cloud infrastructure spend was captured by the worlds top three hyperscale providers (such that US$6 in every US$10 spent on cloud infrastructure is spent on AWS, Microsoft or Google). Synergy Research Group research estimates that Amazons worldwide cloud infrastructure market amounted to 33 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2021, still exceeding the combined market share of its two largest competitors, Microsoft and Google. Amazon and Microsoft accounted for more than half of cloud infrastructure revenues in the final three months of 2021, with the eight largest providers controlling roughly 80 per cent of the market.

Regulatory authorities worldwide are using policy tools to temper dominance in the cloud market. From the proposal for the EUs new Data Act, which mandates greater interoperability and data portability (and may limit or prohibit fees being charged when consumers switch service provider) to Gaia-X, a European initiative for a common software and governance framework for cloud and edge services, and the EU antitrust investigation into Broadcoms US$69 billion acquisition of VMware, EU regulators are squaring up to cloud providers to limit harms to consumers arising from a heavily concentrated cloud service provider marketplace. The US regulators (working under a more pro-antitrust administration in the White House) are looking at legislation which could limit the market power of the largest tech companies (by restricting established players from providing preferential treatment to their own products and services over their competitors, targeting their ownership of online platforms in combination with other lines of business, generally preventing large cloud computing players (eg, Amazon, Google, etc) from acquiring current and/or future competitor). These reforms appear a step closer, following publication of the US House Judiciary Committees final report on theInvestigation of Competition in Digital Markets. This includes proposals to restore competition in the digital economy (introducing structural separation and prohibition of certain dominant platforms from operating in adjacent lines of business, non-discrimination requirements, interoperability and data portability requirements, prohibitions on abuses of superior bargaining power) and plans to strengthen antitrust laws, as well as ensuring robust enforcement of US antitrust laws. In addition, in April 2022, the Department of Justice initiated an in-depth investigation into Googles $5.4 billion proposed acquisition of security advisory and incident response firm Mandiant Inc. The US could therefore see more Department of Justice involvement and some form of federal legislation impacting Big Tech and the principal cloud services providers in the near future. The UK is also looking at the lack of competition between iOS and Android app stores (which means that app developers must write for both app stores), as well as the impact on the development of cloud-based apps, especially cloud gaming apps.

Increased regulatory scrutiny

We saw last year signs the wind was changing. Developments this year include a June 2022 UK Treasury policy paper, which examines the role that critical third parties play in the financial services infrastructure, and a July 2022 discussion paper DP3/22 seeking feedback. Highlighting the potential for significant disruption (and increased financial stability risks) in circumstances where many firms rely on the same third party, the Financial Conduct Authority is likely to be granted direct oversight over certain key services provided to the finance sector. Service providers may also be required to meet minimum resiliency standards and make increased information disclosure to the regulator. It is widely anticipated that the power to designate businesses as critical third parties will target in large part the major cloud service providers, and the paper itself highlights the risk posed by the sectors dependency on a small number of providers, noting that, as of 2020, Bank of England research indicated that over 65% of UK firms used the same four cloud providers for cloud infrastructure services. How far this will require the largest cloud service providers to open their doors to regulators remains unknown, although the FCA is likely to be granted powers to enter premises (with a warrant).

A mid-2021 UK consultation on supply chain cybersecurity has also led to the launch of a new government strategy. Both the EU and the UK are separately considering revising the Network and Information Systems Regulations, again to tighten up perceived gaps in cybersecurity defences. The UK consultation focuses on supply chain cybersecurity risks, in particular, those posed by the mass adoption of managed services. These service providers have the ability to access the networks of thousands of other companies. A vulnerability in one such service provider then risks exposing the networks of all its customers and potentially jeopardises the running of critical infrastructure a classic weakest link effect. The EUs approach is sector-based, expanding the remit of NIS to cover all medium and large organisations across a number of sectors, as well as addressing cybersecurity of the ICT supply chain, covering business-to-business ICT service management. The EUs proposals need to be viewed in the context of its other sectoral developments, such as the proposed Directive on the resilience of critical entities (CER Directive) and the proposed Regulation on digital operational resilience for the financial sector (DORA). The interplay between the UK and EU reforms looks set to lead to divergent scopes and reporting obligations, as well as the need to designate NIS representatives in both the UK and EU.

The UKs NIS reform proposals should also be seen in the context of the UKs ambitious cybersecurity strategy for 20222030 launched in January 2022. Separately, it has developed proposals on enhancing the security of connected smart devices (the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill currently before Parliament) and a drive to train more cyber professionals. The UK is also taking a look at data centre security, in May 2022 launching a consultation on the UKs data storage and processing infrastructure, such as data centre infrastructure, cloud platform infrastructure and managed service provider infrastructure, (given the strategic importance of data and the UKs reliance on large-scale data storage and processing services to deliver essential services).

But the dependence on cloud (and the need to rely on it to deliver innovation and savings) cuts both ways the UK chancellor in his 2022 Spring Statement confirmed that from April 2023, all cloud computing costs associated with R&D, including storage, will qualify for R&D tax relief.

From a data protection angle, there are also signs of increased regulator interest, with the Danish data protection authority investigating two Danish public authorities over their cloud use and personal data transfers to third countries, and is also to examine private company use of cloud in the coming months. The French authority (the CNIL) has also indicated that investigating cloud computing technologies will be a priority in 2022, alongside the February 2022 launch of the European Data Protection Boards first coordinated enforcement, which will look at the use of cloud-based services by the public sector, and report by the end of 2022. This investigation will survey 80 public bodies across the EEA (and across a range of sectors) to identify challenges with GDPR compliance when using cloud-based services (such as international transfers of personal data).

Broader issues

The dominance of cloud as a technology means cloud providers also have to grapple with larger societal and political challenges, the most pressing of which are environmental sustainability in the cloud context and data sovereignty and related privacy concerns.

Whilst a UK Cloud Industry Forum report found 84 per cent of respondents stating that ESG credentials are important factors in cloud procurement, when ranked alongside other factors, ESG and sustainability rank much lower, cited by just 25 per cent of respondents. Unsurprisingly, cost is the most widely mentioned consideration, then range of services, trust, ability to scale and the speed of response of a chosen cloud managed service provider. A recent blog by Google Clouds director for global sustainability highlights the risks of greenwashing, a practice also under scrutiny from regulators globally, such as the UKs Financial Conduct Authority, the Competition and Markets Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority. The UK governments Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is advising firms to use cloud to reduce their carbon emissions. We are also seeing more customers set ESG ratings that their suppliers must meet (such as Deutsche Banks new mandatory ESG ratings for suppliers, for high-value contracts). Data centres are also looking at sustainability issues, given that it is estimated they use about 1 per cent of the global electricity demand and contribute to 0.3 per cent of all CO2 emissions. Reducing energy consumption used to cool data centres (or using renewable energy sources) is an objective but a consortium of software developers (Green Software Foundation) is looking at developing greener code to design more energy-efficient software.

Excerpt from:

Cloud Computing: Global Overview - Lexology

What is the cloud? Where is the cloud? Are we in the cloud right now? These are all questions you've probably heard or even asked yourself. The term "cloud computing" is everywhere.

In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer's hard drive. (The PCMag Encyclopedia defines it succinctly as "hardware and software services from a provider on the internet.")

Ultimately, the "cloud" is just a metaphor for the internet. It goes back to the days of flowcharts and presentations that would represent the gigantic server-farm infrastructure of the internet as nothing but apuffy cloud(Opens in a new window), accepting connections and doling out information as it floats. (And no, it doesn't have anything to do with clouds in the sky.)

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

What cloud computing is not about is your local storage. That's when you store data on or run programs from the hard drive or your solid-state drive. Everything you need is physically close to you, which means accessing your data is fast and easy, for that one computer, or others on the local network. Working off your local drive is how the computer industry functioned for decades; some would argue it's still superior to cloud computing, for reasons I'll explain shortly.

The cloud is also not about having a dedicatednetwork attached storage (NAS) device in your house. Storing data on a home or office network does not count as utilizing the cloud. (However, some NAS devices will let you remotely access things over the internet, and there'sat least one brand from Western Digital named "My Cloud,"(Opens in a new window)just to keep things confusing.)

For it to be considered "cloud computing," you need to access your data or your programs over the internet, or at the very least, have that data synced with other information over the web. In a big business, you may know all there is to know about what's on the other side of the connection; as an individual user, you may never have any idea what kind of massive data processing is happening on the other end in a data center that uses more power in a day than your whole town does in a year. The end result is the same: With an internet connection, cloud computing can be done anywhere, anytime.

Let's be clear here. I'm talking about cloud computing as it impacts individual consumersthose of us who sit back at home or in small-to-medium offices and use the internet on a regular basis.

There is an entirely different "cloud" when it comes to business. Some businesses choose to implementSoftware-as-a-Service(SaaS), where the business subscribes to an application it accesses over the internet. It's essentially a rental. (ThinkSalesforce.com.) There's also Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), where a business can create its own custom applications for use by all in the company. And don't forget the mightyInfrastructure-as-a-Service(IaaS), where players like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Rackspace provide a backbone that can be rented out by other companies. (For example, Netflix is a customer of the cloud services atAmazon AWS(Opens in a new window).)

Cloud computing is big business. Statista created this chart(Opens in a new window) in July 2021 showing Amazon's dominance in the $150 billion a year business worldwide. Just a year earlier, as the COVID-19 coronavirus shut down a lot of offices, the cloud computing market was at $100 billion. Obviously, a lot of businesses transferred things to the cloud to help keep their now-at-home staff working seamlessly. And it worked.

When it comes to home use, the lines between local computing and cloud computing sometimes blur. That's because the cloud is part of almost everything on our computers these days. You can easily have a local piece of software (for instance,Microsoft Office) that utilizes a form of cloud computing for storage (Microsoft OneDrive). Microsoft also offers a set of web-based apps,Office (aka Office for the Web), that are web-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote accessed via your web browser without installing anything. That makes them a type of cloud computing (web-based=cloud).

Some other major examples of cloud computing you're probably using:

Google Drive: This is a pure cloud computing service, with all the storage found online so it can work with the cloud productivity apps: Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Google Drive is also available on more than just desktop computers; you can use it on tablets like the iPador on smartphones, which have separate apps for Docs and Sheets, as well. In fact, most Google services could be considered cloud computing: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, and so on.

Apple iCloud: Apple's cloud service is primarily used for online storage, backup, and synchronization of your mail, contacts, calendar, and more, as well as file synchronization between your Macs and iOS devices. All the data you need is available to you on your iOS, iPadOS, macOS, or Windows devices (Windows users have toinstall(Opens in a new window)the iCloud control panel). Naturally, Apple won't be outdone by rivals: It offers cloud-based versions of its iWork apps such as the word processor (Pages), spreadsheet (Numbers), and presentations (Keynote) for use by any iCloud subscriber. iCloud is also part of how iPhone and AirTab users utilize the Find My iPhone feature when the handset goes missing.

Dropbox: This service has been a simple, reliable file-sync and storage service for years. It is now enhanced with lots of collaboration features (which will cost you and your business, as the free version has grown a bit skimpy).

Slack: Yes, it's considered cloud computing if you have a community of people with separate devices that need instant messaging/communication. The poster child for that is Slack, but you get the same from Microsoft Teams, Workplace by Facebook, and more. Read about them in 17 Alternatives to Slack.

The aforementioned file-synchronization/backup service, and others like Box, IDrive, and SugarSyncall work in the cloud because they store a synced version of your files online, but they also sync those files with local storage. Synchronization is a cornerstone of the cloud computing experience, even if you do access the file locally. For more, check out our roundup of theThe Best Cloud Storage and File-Syncing Services for 2020.

The prime modern example of a device that is completely cloud-centric is theChromebook. These laptops have just enough local storage and power to run Chrome OS, which essentially turns theGoogle Chrome web browser into an operating system. With a Chromebook, almost everything you do is online. Apps, media, and storage are all online. Because of that, they tend to be inexpensive and that's made them incredibly popular for education. The latest models will even run Android apps. There are also a few desktop-style ChromeOS devices, sometimes called a Chromebox.

What happens if you're somewhere without an internet connection and you need to access your data? This is one of the biggest complaints about Chrome OS, although its offline functionality has improved.

The Chromebook isn't the first product to try this approach. So-called "dumb terminals" that lack local storage and connect to a local server or mainframe go back decades. The first internet-only product attempts included the oldNIC (New Internet Computer), theNetpliance iOpener, and the disastrous3Com Ergo Audrey. You could argue they all debuted well before their timedial-up speeds of the 1990s had training wheels compared with the accelerated broadband internet connections of today.

That's why many would argue that cloud computing works at all. The connection to the internet is as fast as the connection to the hard drive. At least for some of us.

In a 2013 edition of his feature What if?, xkcd-cartoonist (and former NASA roboticist) Randall Monroe tried to answer the question of "Whenif everwill the bandwidth of the internet surpass that of FedEx?"(Opens in a new window) The question was posed because no matter how great your broadband connection, it's still cheaper to send a package of hundreds of gigabytes of data via FedEx's "sneakernet" of planes and trucks than it is to try and send it over the internet. (The answer, Monroe concluded, is the year 2040.)

Some pundits took that as an implicit critique of cloud computing. Because the speed and cost of local storage outstrip using a wide-area network connection controlled by a telecom company (your ISP).

That's the rub. The ISPs, telcos, and media companies control your access. Putting all your faith in the cloud means you're also putting all your faith in continued, unfettered access. You might get it, but it'll cost you. The more bandwidth you use, the more it costs.

Maybe you trust those corporations. That's fine, but there are plenty of other arguments against going into the cloud whole hog. Consider the potential for crashes. When there are problems at a company like Amazon, which provides cloud infrastructure to big-name companies like Netflix and Pinterest, it can take out all those services. And more: When Amazon's S3 storage service got misconfigured in 2017, it took out a hefty chunk of the entire internet across the board. It happened again in select regions in December 2021. The problems typically last for only hours, but that's not much consolation at the time.

To be honest, it doesn't matter. Cloud computing may be a bit like the Wild West, where the rules are made up as you go, and you hope for the best, but it's here to stay.

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What Is Cloud Computing? | PCMag

Cloud computing and network security concept, 3d rendering,conceptual image.

Wednesday, September 14th Arm held a press conference to announce the latest updates to the roadmap for its server CPUs, which the company calls Neoverse cores. The key revelation at the press conference was the V2 core (code-named Demeter), which will power Nvidias Grace CPU for high-performance computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) workloads.

The Arm Neoverse V, N, and E-series cores target three different performance and power tradeoffs. V-cores deliver higher performance per core at higher power and larger die area. E-cores are designed to be significantly more power and die space efficient. The N-cores fall between the other two types of cores with a balance of performance, scale and power. Arm updated the roadmaps for the three types of Neoverse CPU cores with support for the latest platform technologies: PCIe (gen 5 and 6), CXL (2.0 and 3.0), and DDR5 memory.

Arm discussed several new key customer design wins including Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud but, these companies all use Ampere Altra products. Ampere Computing is the only CPU company presently shipping merchant (independent) Arm server chips for cloud service providers.

For those not familiar with the company, its a privately held start up led by Founder, Chairman, and CEO Rene J. James. She founded the company in 2017 after serving as President of Intel. She was also the first female General Manager of an Intel business unit and the companys first woman Executive Vice President. She founded the company with the mission to fill the gap in cloud computing and built a team that included veterans from Intel, Sun Micro, and other leading companies.

Rene J. James, Founder/Chairman & CEO of Ampere Computing

Ampere Computing has launched two products over the last two years: the 80-core Ampere Altra in 2020 and the 128-core Ampere Altra Max in 2021. The company has already sampled its newest product, the AmpereOne, to customers earlier this year. While Ampere Computing used Arms Neoverse N1 cores for its Altra line to get to market faster, the companys real goal was to develop its own CPU cores using only an Arm ISA license.

The Ampere Altra family has proven that it is possible to instantiate more CPU cores per socket and still achieve lower power consumption using leading-edge 7nm process technology compared with competing server processor cores. This is a very appealing value proposition for cloud service providers as they can run more instances per rack and per Watt. The Ampere Altra Max packs 128 physical cores on one die and the performance of those cores scale linearly because Amperes server chip design is optimized for cloud scaling using an intelligent mesh network-on-chip (NOC) and plenty of I/O and memory bandwidth. Each CPU core is designed with a sizeable cache and consistently fast clock speed. The chips power efficiency allows it to maintain consistent performance under heavy workloads.

Modern cloud infrastructure needs to be scalable and must extend seamlessly beyond the main data center. Hybrid multi-cloud architectures require resources that are distributed from hyperscale data centers, on-prem private clouds, edge resources, and all points in between. The Ampere Cloud Native processing is optimized for such a distributed environment with consistent performance and low power.

Arm-based cloud instances are making significant market share gains based largely on Ampere CPU chips. While the interest in Arm-based cloud instances was first felt with the early AWS Graviton instances released in 2018, the real growth has recently been driven by companies using Ampere Altra processors. Oracle Cloud was one of the first to embrace Ampere chips, but more recently, in September, Microsoft released new Ampere-based Azure virtual machines and Google Cloud released a T2A preview instance in August, also based on Ampere CPUs. HPE announced an Ampere-based ProLiant system at HPE Discover in July and European web hosting company Hetzner announced Ampere-based instances in August.

The application for low-power compute based on Ampere server chips extends to autonomous driving the Cruise autonomous car development platform uses an Altra processor to reduce power consumption while still achieving the required compute performance. Arm-based servers are also perfect for supporting Android cloud gaming. For example, Nvidia and Ampere are working together on a project called AICAN (Android-in-Cloud-with-Ampere-and-NVIDIA). The AICAN server platform uses Ampere Altra Processors and NVIDIA GPUs that run Arm-compatible Android mobile games natively, without modification or emulation. One more example: the ability to lower operating costs and yet provide more cores allows Red Bull Racing to use Oracle Cloud and Ampere Altra for better and faster race simulations.

Arm-based server market share is growing, especially in cloud instances. While AWS has designed its own Arm-based Graviton processor, many other cloud service providers have leaned on Ampere Altra products to pack more CPU cores per rack and to lower operating costs, without investing in a server CPU design team. Amperes server chips give them all the benefits without the risk.

Arms new Neoverse roadmap, Alibaba Yitian 710, AWS Graviton 3, Nvidias Grace, and Amperes AmpereOne are leading to a robust Arm server ecosystem. While the Alibaba and AWS chips are designed strictly for internal use, and the Nvidia Grace chip is targeting HPC and AI workloads, the Ampere Computing chips are focused on bringing predictable high performance and efficiency to the cloud and the network edge.

The Ampere Computing solution should be getting even more attractive with the AmpereOne, which uses a new, custom CPU core, based on the Arm instruction set but wholly designed by the companys experienced design team and manufactured with an advanced, 5nm process technology. Details of AmpereOne are still forthcoming. Meanwhile, Ampere Computing is only getting started in its plans to lead cloud server development and deployment.

Update: New picture of Rene J. James

Tirias Research tracks and consults for companies throughout the electronics ecosystem from semiconductors to systems and sensors to the cloud. Members of the Tirias Research team have consulted for AMD, Ampere, Arm, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Synopsys, and other companies throughout the cloud and IP ecosystems.

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Ampere Computing Leads In Cloud Deployments As The Only Arm-Based Merchant Cloud Computing Platform - Forbes

HARTLAND, Wis., Sept. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Paper-Less, LLC, a software development company that brings real time visibility into smart factory technology sectors, has announced Vern Hanzlik as President of Paper-Less, LLC.

Paper-Less, LLC is expanding its cloud-based MV2 Manufacturing Execution System (MES) platform that supports Industry 4.0, AI and IIoT technologies. Mr. Hanzlik was the perfect candidate for his deep industry knowledge of SaaS and other cutting-edge technologies to support the company's expansion.

Hanzlik's career spans 30 years of experience in developing and bringing to market industry-leading software solutions. He's held numerous leadership roles and his most recent tenure was the last eight years as CEO, President and Board Member of Qumu, an enterprise SaaS video software platform company. Also, Hanzlik was an investor, Board Member and President of Sajan Software a SaaS based TMS (Translation Management System) Platform.

Prior to that, he co-founded Stellent, an enterprise content management software company that was acquired by Oracle in 2006 for $440 million and became the basis of Oracle's E2.0 Fusion Middleware offering. His last 25 years have been specifically in software development.

"The Paperless organization has the right formula for great success and growth starting with the great customer base with our MES platform, which has the ability to transition to cloud computing plus expand our reach into the digital transformation for the manufacturing market space. Additionally, the experience and culture of the company which is a testimony to their success and all the deep industry experience of our people in the business. I'm excited to be here and help the organization progress to the next level."

Paper-Less' manufacturing execution system roadmap is aimed at providing the keystone for small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses to utilize the advanced data and control technologies available today and in the future. With these technologies and Hanzlik at the helm, Paper-Less' new and existing customers will be able to increase their efficiency and competitiveness on a global stage.

"Our most important resource is our long-trusted relationships with our customers," mentions Erin Bonde, Corporate Director, Operations & Communications, "Selecting a new president to support, expand and evolve our MES software solutions is key to both the company and our customers' success."

Paper-Less, LLC has been developing and implementing MES solutions for over 35 years and has a long-standing commitment to over 250+ customers worldwide. As the technology industry transforms, Paper-Less continues to embrace innovation, provide smart solutions, and retain a long-standing commitment to customers.

If you'd like more information or would like to set up a time to interview Mr. Hanzlik, please contact the information below.

Contact:Eric FescenmeyerPhone:262.567.9240Email: [emailprotected]

SOURCE Paper-Less, LLC

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Paper-Less, LLC Hires Experienced SaaS Executive to Advance Into Cloud Computing and Industry 4.0 - PR Newswire

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Application modernization efforts that support the aggressive rollout of digital strategies have paved the way for accelerated cloud adoption. This has resulted in enterprises spending a higher percentage of their IT budgets in the cloud. To scale the cost of doing business in the cloud effectively, enterprises need to understand the underlying reasons their costs are increasing.

A study by Andreessen Horowitz found enterprises are typically spending 20% more on public-cloud infrastructure than expected. The unpredictability of enterprise cloud spend is driven by three key factors: more applications being delivered with multi-cloud, increased charges from cloud service providers (CSP) for pay-as-you-consume services, and cloud waste.

The last three years have seen a tremendous rise in the use of cloud computing as companies have more fully embraced this technology to address the challenges of the global pandemic, including distributed workforces and the ever-expanding digital footprints needed to deliver better employee and customer experiences. The State of Multi-Cloud Infrastructure Report and Application eXperience Infrastructure Study (AXIS) found that spending on cloud accounted for 31% of overall IT budgets in the US last year. Similarly, International Data Corporation (IDC) showed that spending on cloud infrastructure increased 13.5% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2021 to $21.1 billion, marking the second consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.

IDC further predicted that by the end of 2022, cloud spending will outpace non-cloud IT infrastructure spending for the first time. As enterprises have shifted from short-term requirements focused on connectivity to digital strategies for long-term growth, there is an increasing focus on application modernization and increasing lift and shift strategies backended by the cloud. In fact, the AXIS study revealed that nearly half of enterprises anticipate more than 75% of their applications will be in the cloud within 12 months.

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In March, Google Cloud announced significant price increases across a number of core services under the guise of wanting to provide more flexible pricing models and options. However, all cloud service providers (CSPs) have increased prices to varying degrees. This can be attributed to the chip shortages that gained national headlines last year as well as the rising cost of goods due to supply chain issues and inflation that were all experiencing now. The war in Ukraine has only exacerbated the problem as Ukraine produces 70% of the worlds supply of neon gas used in semiconductor lithography.

Another key challenge of managing cloud costs for enterprises are hidden egress costs. While most cloud providers dont typically charge to transfer data into the cloud (ingress), they do charge for data egress in most situations. Data egress occurs whenever your applications write data out to your network or whenever you repatriate data back to your on-premises environment. In a recent conversation I had with a prominent industry analyst, he noted that he is receiving more and more calls from clients about cloud egress. Just how high are these costs?

Lets look at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which generates an incredible amount of data every year. An internal audit expects data collection to increase eight-fold by 2026 and expand to 247 petabytes. The audit concludes that fees from moving data from the cloud present potential risks that scientific data may be less available and warns that NASA may need to impose limits on the amount of data egress to control costs. Surprise data egress fees from multiple cloud providers can prevent enterprises from using the best cloud provider or, like NASA, from imposing data limits in an effort to reduce billing complexity. However, a single-cloud strategy can entail other risks, like vendor lock-in and missed innovation opportunities.

Another area that often creates challenges for enterprises comes from cloud shadows the adoption of SaaS, IaaS and PaaS without ITs knowledge. Similar to subscriptions in our personal life streaming services, budgeting tools, gym memberships etc. only when you see the bill do you realize you are paying for services you no longer use. The same holds true in business. Large enterprises have different teams using the cloud to build and test applications and put them into production. But who is watching to ensure these cloud environments get turned off when they are no longer in use after a test, or when an application becomes dormant because it is no longer needed or gets replaced?

While some enterprises have standardized on one cloud service provider, its increasingly common that enterprises are embracing multi-cloud. In fact, a study by Flexera found that 92% of enterprises have done so to boost innovation and improve customer experience. However, different teams choose different CSPs based on personal preference or familiarity, and because they offer different features and are available in different cloud regions. This adds another layer of difficulty for enterprises as they work to track costs and budget accordingly.

While managing cloud costs may seem daunting, the solution is actually well within the reach of all organizations. The key is to develop a strategy and deploy tools that offer real-time, end-to-end visibility across your entire cloud environment with ML-delivered insights, recommendations and automation.

Tools that provide end-to-end visibility enable enterprises to identify cloud egress costs, see which applications are underutilized or dormant and turn off cloud region instances that arent in use. Greater visibility is key to successfully migrating to the cloud and managing the enterprise cloud footprint. It allows enterprises to easily identify where it makes sense to spend more if performance improves and can provide greater ROI. For example: lets say you open a new office in Australia. Turning on a cloud region close to the new office could deliver 50% better performance at a cost of $1,000 per month. This approach leads to better understanding of cloud usage and pattern matching, giving enterprises the ability to better manage cloud costs and predict future cloud spend.

As more C-suites are asking how each departments spend contributes to the success of the business, enterprises should seek cloud-agnostic vendors with tools that give them complete visibility into cloud cost and spend. Having a better understanding of the cloud environment only helps lines of business and IT leaders show how the cloud contributes to growth.

Mehul Patel is Head of Marketing and Customer Insights and Intelligence at Prosimo.

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3 cost trends in cloud computing today - VentureBeat

In its early days, cloud computing was used primarily by tech-friendly and technology-related businesses. It is now making its presence felt in non-technology-related fields as well.Cloud services in the education field have been expanding rapidly. Educational institutions are making the transformation from traditional classroom-based learning systems to cloud-based systems quickly. Cloud solutions help create a flexible learning environment supported by strong and authentic security standards. This allows educational institutions to offer a broader and more scalable curriculum.

With online schooling gaining popularity, educational institutions are leveraging the power of cloud computing on a larger scale. It makes collaboration more accessible and allows students and teachers to access updated learning tools from anywhere. Most importantly, it is a time-saver.

Cloud computing is gaining importance in the education sector for the following reasons:

A cloud platform makes accessing educational resources easier for students and teachers. The same books, modules, and learning materials are available, regardless of the device used. This eliminates the need for physical textbooks. For students, only one device is needed for all subjects, making learning more convenient.

Teachers and educators also enjoy this benefit. They can upload coursework from anywhere, and it can be updated too effortlessly. Teachers can work from school or home as per need and convenience.

Another advantage is that changes in course material can be reverted and accessed for reference. Most cloud platforms keep multiple versions of a document in the database. This can come in handy when a user accidentally deletes some portion of a file or the entire document.

Users can collaborate in real time in the cloud. So, all students can work on the same assignment from the comfort of their homes. Also, indisposed students can catch up on lessons and homework. This enhanced collaboration certainly is beneficial for teachers too. They can share lesson plans with other faculty members or get instant feedback on projects. Additionally, working with different departments and schools is more convenient and less time-consuming.

Cloud computing in education is a proven time-saver for all concerned. As every activity is performed simultaneously and instantly, teachers and students can help save time. Many tasks that do not require students and teachers to travel to the schools can be done remotely. Lessons can be drawn up and completed quickly. Teachers can work at their convenience commuting, late at night, or even during holidays.

Cloud-based apps and platforms are simple and user-friendly, allowing schools to lessen other IT tasks.

Cloud computing is the perfect platform for students unable to attend traditional learning institutions. For example, working professionals may not get time during the week to participate in classes. They can access the study materials uploaded in the cloud at their convenience, after office hours or on weekends.

Some students who live in villages with few schooling options can study through online schooling. They can choose the school and the courses they want and use cloud computing resources to gain an education.

Cloud computing education can be a more cost-efficient option for traditional learning from famous institutions. Users can lower the hardware costs. As cloud apps are compatible with most devices, students and teachers dont need to invest in hi-tech devices. Cloud platforms also help reduce the use of paper. Institutions can also save heavily on photocopiers, printers, file cabinets, etc.

Many vendors offer their cloud services on a subscription basis or in a pay-as-you-go format. Educational institutions can begin with small investments initially and add more premium features or data storage on a need basis.

One of the most significant advantages of cloud computing is the availability of increased storage for less cost. You wont need any physical storage peripherals. You can also enjoy the option of automatically saving changes in the files and backing up several versions of your files. This is a huge boon for students and teachers. They know they will not lose any study material. It also guarantees uninterrupted coaching.

Cloud computing in the educational sector is not only about moving to the cloud or data storage and management. These aspects are a boon. However, there are other benefits that educational institutions can enjoy.

In the past, cloud service users had to invest heavily in software licenses and upgrades. Yet, with the availability of Software-as-a-Service technology, it is easy to access software solutions at a low and fixed monthly cost.

Educational institutions need not rely on expensive servers and end-user devices as in the past. Students and teachers rely less on agnostic and affordable cloud solutions. So, they access it from anywhere.

Cloud-based educational solutions can be accessed remotely. Likewise, students no longer have to go to school in fixed time slots. Indeed, they can access the educational material and teachers remotely by switching to the cloud system.

Cloud computing allows study materials and immediate updates placed within students reach. Teachers can establish that students are learning with their best study materials.

Cloud computing is making learning more accessible across the world. Likewise, more institutions are embracing cloud services in education. It makes learning more straightforward, affordable, and easily adaptable for students and teachers. So, if you, too, are contemplating a transition from traditional learning to cloud-based learning, make sure you research the available options. Also, look at the technology they use in detail. Certainly choosing the right cloud services in education benefits the needs of your teachers and students.

Link:

The Importance of Cloud Services in Education - Baseline

Database migration involves moving data from one or multiple source platforms to a different database. Organizations often create a database migration strategy that helps align the migration process with specific business needs. For example, an organization may decide to migrate its on-premises data to a cloud-based database to reduce costs. Another business may opt to migrate to a database that offers extended features more suitable to current needs.

A cloud database is a managed service accessed and built via a cloud platform. Users simply request a database instance from a cloud provider, and it is automatically deployed on cloud infrastructure. A cloud database has many functions of a traditional database, with the additional flexibility offered by cloud computing.

Here are typical features of cloud databases:

Here are the top reasons you should consider moving your on-premises database to the cloud.

Migrating your database to the cloud reduces the need for in-house IT staff and data center facilities. Cloud database migration also does not need the specialized tools and resources required to manage complex IT environments. Over time, database cloud migration results in lower capital costs and decreased HVAC and electrical operating expenditures.

The cloud computing vendor offers storage, servers, and other infrastructure in a cloud database environment. It is responsible for maintaining high availability and maintaining the infrastructure. The organization that operates and owns the database is responsible for configuring it, as well as loading, managing and protecting the data.

You can scale a database up and down more easily when you migrate to the cloud. Cloud computing also provides increased elasticity and flexibility. Cloud database migration enables dynamic scaling, so additional database instances can be created to meet changing application loads.

Organizations are using the cloud to help them enforce a strong disaster recovery plan. Organizations can copy or backup entire virtual servers to an off-premises data center with cloud computing.

You can spin up the virtual server on a virtual host in a few minutes. The benefit of this is that you can safely and accurately restore a database in a remote data center without reinstalling the server. Consequently, you can cut down on disaster recovery times.

One of the key organizational goals when migrating databases to the cloud is to improve analytics capabilities, including data lakes and data warehousing. You can even prepare for advanced analytics, for example, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Data modernization is the initial step to initiating scalable analytics capabilities. Organizations can use cloud computing to achieve real-time data availability.

Via the cloud, organizations can visualize their data and provide access to more employees for improved decision-making. Most importantly, cloud providers offer a range of data analytics and machine learning services that can help organizations gain deeper insights into data without a major investment in infrastructure.

See More: Applying Gartners 6 Rs to Data Migration

Here are cloud database offerings from the worlds leading cloud providers Amazon and Microsoft.

Amazon Web Services offers the following cloud database services:

Azure offers the following cloud database services:

See More: A Cloud Networking Primer: Building Your Network in the Azure Cloud

Cloud database services are becoming a pillar of IT operations in the cloud. Traditionally, managing database infrastructure and concerns like scaling and high availability were high on the priority list of IT teams, because databases are typically a mission critical application. Today, many organizations are moving to the cloud and outsourcing these concerns to a third-party provider.

Migrating a database to the cloud is convenient, but also involves a certain loss of control. In the on-premise data center, IT staff could choose their database version, implement customizations, fine-tune performance, and easily integrate their database with legacy systems. All these become much more difficult, if not impossible, in a managed service.

That being said, there are many strong drivers for migrating to the cloud, such as cost savings, elimination of physical infrastructure, easier scalability, disaster recovery, and improved analytics.

In addition, I covered popular cloud database offerings from the big three cloud providers, which you can leverage to make a move to the cloud, notably Amazon RDS, Azure SQL Database, and Azure Cosmos DB. All the leading providers offer free trials and free pricing tiers, so you can test drive any of these services and see if a cloud database is right for your project.

Have you moved your on-premises database to the cloud? What benefits have you seen? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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Top 5 Reasons To Migrate Databases to the Cloud - Spiceworks News and Insights

The pandemic accelerated technological adoption among small and midsized businesses (SMBs) by five years, forcing them to upgrade their IT infrastructure by adopting cloud-based and digital tools to stay competitive and service clients remotely. According to the 2022 IT Operations Survey Results Report, the percentage of respondents using cloud cost management tools increased from 7% to 24% as cloud adoption climbs.

Cloud services are a boon for the fast-expanding mid-market segment who can pay on the go and expand and scale their business without incurring high IT infrastructure costs. The report also highlighted that nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents spend as much as 25% of their resources on cloud infrastructure.

With cloud technologies becoming increasingly popular, this blog will aim to answer common questions such as what cloud migration means, why its important, top migration strategies and other key queries. Dive in.

Cloud migration refers to moving company data, applications and other IT resources from on-premises data centers and servers to the cloud. Companies can either transfer their data to public cloud service providers like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, or Amazon Web Services (AWS), set up their private cloud computing environment or create a hybrid environment.

With cloud services gaining popularity, there is also an increasing rise in cloud-to-cloud migrations in which companies move their resources from one cloud service provider to another. Another concept under the umbrella of cloud migration is cloud repatriation, or reverse cloud migration, in which users move their data and resources from a cloud environment to a local server.

Cloud migration is important because it gives SMBs the capability to support a diversified and hybrid employee and client base efficiently. Cloud computing is the future of IT, and not migrating to it will result in you falling behind. Consider these points:

Cloud migration strategies are in-depth plans companies make to migrate their data and resources from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud or from one cloud provider to another. No two businesses will have the same cloud migration strategy. It will vary depending on their expectations from cloud adoption, its impacts on their business operations, the money they expect to save and other business factors.

Migrating to the cloud is not a simple one-size-fits-all process. For migration to be successful, each application, dataset and workload must be mapped out in detail. According to Gartner, there are five categories of cloud migration strategies, dubbed the FIVE Rs. Lets take a look at what they are:

The cloud deployment model indicates how youve configured the cloud infrastructure, which determines how much access and control you have over it. A deployment model determines where and who controls cloud databases and servers. There are four primary deployment models, which are:

The public cloud setup gives users access to comprehensive IT resources like virtual machines, computing power, application storage and data backup over the internet without requiring them to maintain the hardware themselves. The public cloud service providers share the computing resources with multiple tenants and charge them on a pay-per-usage or subscription basis.

A private cloud setup is for use by a single customer. Companies create the cloud environment for personal use and do not share it with others. This option combines the benefits of public cloud with the security and control of an on-premise IT ecosystem. Although this setup is costly due to upfront investment in technology, many organizations find the security benefits outweigh the costs.

A hybrid cloud setup is when a company uses a mix of on-premise, public and private cloud environments. Companies use data management processes to connect systems running on traditional architecture that they may not want to expose to the cloud. Often, companies keep confidential resources and data on-premises and use the cloud for services like analytics. The hybrid model is where most businesses end up.

Multicloud setups involve connecting multiple public clouds in one architecture to create a single user experience.

A successful cloud adoption strategy will vary based on unique business needs and requirements. However, all cloud migration takes place in the following four stages:

Cloud computing technology and cloud-based services have matured. Their capabilities and reliability have advanced to a degree that for most organizations its no longer a matter of if they will launch a cloud deployment or expansion, but when. Here are some of the top benefits of cloud migration:

With no upfront commitments or long-term contracts, you pay only for the resources (storage, compute power, etc.) you use. This reduces your IT operational costs and helps boosts profits. You can spend the money you save on introducing innovation at the workplace and improving your own services.

Cloud services offer high scalability and availability to their users. Its easy to scale your usage up or down, depending on the changing needs of your business. You can also modify the computing power required with just a few clicks.

Cloud-hosted websites or applications run better for end users since the cloud provider will naturally have significantly more data centers. As these data centers are located around the globe, you can host your data in a market you want to serve and remove location-based latency. As a result, you will be able to provide better service to your users.

Cloud adoption provides businesses with flexibility and scalability by not restricting them to the physical limitations of on-premises servers. In addition, you can also take advantage of the reliability of multiple cloud data centers as well as responsive and customizable load balancing that evolves with your changing demands. This way you never have to worry about high fixed costs since everything is variable.

Even though migrating to the cloud has many benefits and is the inevitable next step in information technology, several challenges remain.

Successful migration to the cloud requires proper planning, and most companies dont pay enough attention to this step. Whether its due to lack of time, inattention or managements inability to get on the same page, errors during migration are preventable if all the wrinkles are ironed out during the planning phase.

Technology adoption comes at a cost. Many technicians see migration as a net new cost rather than considering its long-term cost-saving benefits. When companies are on a tight budget, migrating to the cloud can be challenging. However, the cloud can be a great way for companies to save money and unlock efficiencies in their business.

Cloud operates on a shared responsibility model where the service providers supply robust security controls but the responsibility to configure them correctly is up to the users. There is also a risk associated with mass data transfers, as information can get intercepted during the transfer. When using cloud services, users must exercise all cybersecurity precautions.

Compliance is another challenge. When deploying cloud technologies, you must ensure compliance with the various rules and regulations that will vary based on your industry and location. Ensure youre compliant with the standards appropriate for your organization.

The migration to cloud computing has rapidly accelerated in the past year as organizations have digitally transformed their business. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) extends your IT environment from on-premises to the cloud. The global market size of IaaS is expected to reach nearly $82.2 billion this year. Needless to say, IT teams need an endpoint management solution that enables them to manage cloud-based environments on services such as Azure and AWS, as well as hybrid on-premise and cloud environments.

With Kaseya VSA, you can automate the discovery process of all endpoints and network devices, including virtual hosts, virtual machines and cloud infrastructure for services such as Microsoft Azure. You can deploy our automation agents to Azure Active Directory (AD), with more cloud providers on the horizon. VSA gives you the visibility and functionality you need to manage all of IT in a single UI. If your RMM cant manage your hybrid IT ecosystem, its time to upgrade. Request your demo today!

The post Cloud Migration: Strategies, Process, Benefits and Challenges appeared first on Kaseya.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog - Kaseya authored by Kaseya. Read the original post at: https://www.kaseya.com/blog/2022/09/14/cloud-migration-strategies-process-benefits-challenges/

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Cloud Migration: Strategies, Process, Benefits and Challenges - Security Boulevard

Cloud computing is now so widely used that it has become the new normal, with on premises infrastruc- ture largely consigned to history at least for many public sector digital services. However, this is really quite a recent shift and one that was facilitated in no small part by the transformation in Cloud service procurement via The Government Digital Marketplace (originally created as CloudStore).

This transformation began in earnest in 2012 with the launch of G-Cloud, enabling public sector organisations to more easily adopt a Cloud first approach to IT. Now, with the launch of G-Cloud 13, Zoocha looks over their ten years of success in digital transformation.

One of the greatest impacts of G-Cloud has been to provide a mechanism for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to offer their services to public sector organisations. This is not only transformational for those businesses, but creates a vastly greater choice for buyers to achieve the best value for money, without increasing procurement bureaucracy.

By May 2013, a little over a year after launch, there were over 700 suppliers on the framework, the vast majority of which were SMEs. Today, SMEs account for over 90% of all suppliers listed on the G-Cloud framework.

Another key to the success of G-Cloud is the clear structure of the services offered. Since G-Cloud 9, services have been classified into three lots: Lot 1: Cloud Hosting (IaaS) and (PaaS): Cloud platform or infrastruc- ture services that can help buyers to deploy, manage and run software as well as provision and use processing, storage or networking resources. Lot 2: Cloud Software (SaaS): Appli- cations that are typically accessed over a public or private network, for example, the internet and hosted in the Cloud. Lot 3: Cloud Support: Services that support buyers to implement and maintain their Cloud systems.

This is designed to provide buyers with an easier way to identify and procure solutions and service providers, without the need for an intensive and expensive tendering process. The process for buyers is simple:

Define their requirements. Search on the digital marketplace using keywords relating to your requirements. Save and export your search results both ease the audit trail. Evaluate the services in the search results and shortlist the ones that meet your requirements and budget. Ask further clarification questions of the suppliers in your shortlist. Decide on the preferred supplier and award the contract.

Similarly, for suppliers, both the process for listing your services on G-Cloud and the direct award procurement process described above, have dramatically simplified the task of selling to public sector organisations and enabled them to compete against larger businesses on a level playing field.

In addition to Lots 1, 2 and 3, G-Cloud 13 includes a new fourth Lot. Whilst Lots 1-3 services will continue to be offered via the Digital Marketplace for buyers to search, shortlist and direct award contracts, Lot 4 will be separate, with procurement following a bidding process rather than service listing and direct award.

Lot 4 is designed to enable buyers to source providers who can implement larger-scale transition projects, from early business analysis through to migration, implementation and legacy systems integration.

In the last decade, almost 12 billion worth of Cloud services have been procured through the framework with 39% of that spend awarded to SMEs. In terms of breakdown, Cloud Support has overwhelmingly been the most successful Lot on the framework, with 6.7 billion spent since 2013 and accounting for 65% of total framework spend, with Cloud Software contributing 23% of spend and Cloud Hosting contributing 12%.

Perhaps more tellingly, the breakdown of spend by sector (i.e. type of public sector organisation) highlights that whilst G-Cloud has been successful in attracting central government buyers, accounting for 78% of framework spend, adoption by local government buyers has yet to gather pace, accounting for only 6% of spend. This means there are a huge number of organisations who are yet to access the benefits of the framework and represents one of the key future growth opportunities for G-Cloud and the suppliers listed on it.

G-Cloud has come a long way since its inception, driving transformational change in government technology procurement and in the ability for SMEs to access government contracts. We expect this trend to continue as the wider landscape of public sector organisations, including local government and health service providers, realise the benefits of using the framework for Cloud service procurement.

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G-Cloud 13 and public sector technology procurement - Open Access Government

New York, Sept. 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kenneth Research has published a detailed market report on Global Microserver Market for the forecast period, i.e. 2022 2031 which includes the following factors:

Global Microserver Market Size:

With the increase in digital world, need of data centers is also rising. Data centers are integral part of digital economy, everything that take place online is stored in these data centers. Global microserver market is poised to grow at about 14% CAGR throughout the forecast years, while nailing USD 47 billion for 2021. They are full of videos, imported software and severs, moreover, they are a spot for exchange of data between different networks. Companies are migrating towards digitization and relying on digital networks. To ease their work and to efficiently organize, analyze and to process the data, organizations demand for data centers is escalating. In 2021, the total number data centers present globally has reached to nearly 8 million.

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Global Microserver Market: Key Takeaways

Higher Usage of Cloud Computing, Increased Digitization and Digital Data is to Augment the Market Growth

Enterprise needs to access their scattered networks from one point and to provide the best security to protect the data is elevating the use of cloud computing. As of 2022, approximately 95% of organizations are using cloud computing for their work and nearly 85% of companies have deployed their workload on cloud in 2021. Furthermore, with the rising usage of internet and mobile phones & laptops, digitization is flourishing rapidly. By 2023, the revenue produced from digitally transformed companies will be equal to almost half of global GDP. Government, public and private sectors are migrating towards digitization and most of the service, products and information is digitally available. With the rise in digitization, the data generated at online platforms is also expanding massively. According to United States International Trade Commission, in 2020, digital data was around 59 zettabyte and it is expected to reach to 175 zettabyte by 2025.

Global Microserver Market: Regional Overview

The global microserver market is segmented into five major regions including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa region.

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Asia Pacific Regional Market to Elevate by Accelerated Digitization and Higher Deployment of Cloud Services

Rising need for cost effective data storage solution is leading Asia Pacific to deploy cloud services and it has been accelerated by the impact of COVID-19. Nearly 60% of companies have boosted their migration journey to cloud service due to COVID-19. Furthermore, increased prevalence of digital transformation is prompting government, public and private sectors to digitize their work process and the service provided by them. Around 60% of business have elevated their speed of digital transformation which is nearly 45% higher than rest of the world. Rise in number of data center is expected to further augment the growth of microserver market. Currently there are approximately 100 data centers in Asia Pacific with server room space of nearly 185,000 m2 and around 30,000 m is under development.

Higher Use of Cloud Service and Increased Number of Data Centers is to Elevate the Market Growth in North America

Onset of COVID-19 has fueled the utilization of cloud services in every industry in United States. It is estimated that about 95% of U.S. companies have deployed at-least one cloud service for their workload. Furthermore, As of January 2020, United States have nearly 2700 data centers, thus higher number of data center is likely to propel the market growth

The study further incorporates Y-O-Y growth, demand & supply and forecast future opportunity in:

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Global Microserver Market, Segmentation by Processor

Intel is expected to contribute notably to the growth of microserver market. Intel is the worlds largest semiconductor chip makers. It has sustained the position for very long by constantly improvising the processor and producing new innovations. It is well known for radiating less heat and is best suitable for mini laptops. Furthermore, it gives wide variety of motherboards and is comparatively less expensive than other processors. In the second quarter of 2022, the share of x86 computer processor or CPU tests recorded from Intel is around 65%, and for laptops it is nearly 75%.

Global Microserver Market, Segmentation by Application

Companys rising need to secure their all network ends and to easily manage the employee all over the world is prompting them to deploy their work on cloud computing. Around 60% companies have started using cloud computing to avoid the risk of data theft and to secure critical data. Furthermore, smart feature of hybrid cloud, the flexibility usage between public and private cloud is increasing its popularity. Enterprises are counting on hybrid cloud in order to leverage their company with different types of cloud with the deployment of just hybrid cloud. As of March 2022, nearly 79% enterprises have installed hybrid cloud for carrying out tasks.

Global microserver market is further segregated based on solution, type, and, and end-user.

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Global Microserver Market, Segmentation by Solution

Global Microserver Market, Segmentation by Service Type

Global Microserver Market, Segmentation by End User

Few of the well-known market leaders in the global microserver market that are profiled by Kenneth Research are FUJITSU Limited, Dell Technologies, Inc., IBM Corporation, Acer Inc., Hitachi, Ltd., Intel Corporation, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., NVIDIA Corporation, and Ambedded Technology Co., LTD. and others.

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Recent Developments in the Global Microserver Market

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Originally posted here:

Global Microserver Market is Predicted to Grow at a CAGR of ~14% during 2022-2031; Growing Need for Data Centers, Cloud Computing Increased Prevalence...

End-to-end encrypted email provider Tutanota finally got a fix last month from Microsoft for a registration issue that had affected users who were trying to sign up to the tech giants cloud-based collaboration platform, Teams, using a Tutanota email address but only after complaining about the problem publicly.

TechCrunch picked up its complaint last month.

In a blog post confirming the resolution yesterday, Tutanota writes that Microsoft got in touch with it within a week after media outlets such as this one raised the issue with Microsoft. It had been complaining about the issue through Microsofts official support channels since January 2021 without any resolution. But after the oxygen of publicity arrived the problem was swiftly fixed last month. Fancy that!

While its (finally) a happy ending for Tutanota, its co-founder Matthias Pfau makes the salient point that this situation remains an entirely unsatisfactory one for SMEs faced with the market muscle of powerful platforms which have at best a competitive disinterest in swiftly attending to access issues and other problems affecting smaller businesses that need fair interfacing with their platforms to ensure they can properly serve their own customers.

While the issue has been resolved pretty quickly by Microsoft after the right people contacted us following the media attention, we still believe that this example shows why we need better antitrust regulations. It is not fair that a Big Tech company can ignore a small companys request to fix an issue that effects its users for months, and is only interested in fixing the issue after it received bad publicity because of this, he writes.

After all, not every small company has the option to go public, possibly because the media will decide their issue is not worth talking about or because they simply do not have established media contacts and find it hard to get through to the right people.

While we are very happy that this particular issue has now been fixed for all Tutanota users, we still believe that there must be a better way for companies to contact Big Tech and request fixes from them one where they can not simply answer to the request with Sorry, fixing the issue you are having is not feasible for us.

Platform fairness is one issue that the European Commission has been attending to in recent years but apparently not with enough of a flex to ensure all SMEs are being treated attentively by cloud giants.

Tutanota is not alone in experiencing issues with Microsofts support response to its complaint. Another SME, the browser maker Vivaldi, got in touch following our report on Tutanotas issue saying users of a webmail service it offers had reported a similar issue on Azure, another Microsoft cloud computing platform. It told us that users of its Vivaldi.net email service had been given information and possibly access to other vivaldi.net users Azure accounts. Which sounds, well, suboptimal.

The reason is that vivaldi.net is handled as a corporate domain, not an email provider domain. Microsoft has refused to fix the problem, claiming it is by design, a spokesperson for the company explained last month, adding: We have also had similar reports about other services.

Its frustrating that in 2022 to find Microsoft blatantly continues to engage in anti-competitive practices, they added.

After TechCrunch raised Vivaldis complaint with Microsoft, the SME got back in touch with us to say surprise! it had suddenly had fresh attention from the cloud giant to its complaint We are having a meeting with them this week. So they have woken up after two years. Lets see what comes out of this, its spokesperson told us a few weeks ago.

We followed up this month to see if Vivaldi has also had a resolution but at the time of writing were still waiting on a response.

Update: Vivaldi told us the meeting with Microsoft moved in a positive direction and the issues are partially fixed. Vivaldi.net is being treated as a personal email address and thats what we expect. Although its been fixed for new signups, for existing accounts that were created before they made their changes, we dont think theyve done anything yet, they also said. Hopefully, all such issues should soon be resolved.

We also asked for an update from Microsoft but havent heard back yet. But the tech giant previously said: Were in touch with Vivaldi.net to look into their concerns around data and will take action as needed to ensure that customer data is handled properly and any issues are addressed appropriately.

One thing is clear: These two complaints are just the tip of the iceberg. (Just the social media chatter around our Tutanota reporting includes a similar complaint about IBM Cloud and another that Microsoft also blocks self hosted emails from its virtual private servers without any sort of explanation, so you can conveniently get an email address from them as well, with the complainant accusing its business of always been forced dominance for e.g.)

Whats a whole lot less clear is whether or not current (and incoming) EU regulations are up to the task of protecting SMEs from cloud giants power to be totally disinterested in resolving platform problems that affect smaller competitors.

Back in 2019, the European Union agreed a regulation the blocs lawmakers claimed was pioneering in this regard aimed at tackling unfair platform business practices, with the Commission saying they wanted to outlaw some of the most unfair practices and create a benchmark for transparency. The regulation, which came into force just over two years ago, included a requirement that platforms set up new avenues for dispute resolution by mandating they have an internal complaint-handling system to assist business users.

However the EUs platform-to-business (P2B) trading regulation, which was targeted at so-called online intermediation services which provide services to business users that to enable them to reach consumers, had a heavy focus on ecommerce platforms, search engines, app stores and rental websites etc (and barely any mention of cloud computing). So its not clear whether services like Microsoft Teams and Azure are intended to fall in scope despite online intermediation itself being a broad concept.

If the regulation is supposed to apply to cloud services, the poor experiences of SMEs like Tutanota having core issues affecting their users essentially ignored via official support channels indicates something isnt working. So, at very least, theres a failure of enforcement going on here. The lack of clarity around whether the P2B regulation even applies in such cases also obviously doesnt help. So there does seem to be a communication gap if not an outright loophole.

The EU has further digital regulations incoming that are squarely targeted at ruling how platforms do business with others, with the goal of ensuring open and contestable markets via proactive enforcement of fair terms and conditions. Most notably the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will apply to the most powerful gatekeeper platforms.

However this regulation is not yet in force application will start next year and it will require individual gatekeepers and core platform services to be designated before requirements apply, which will take many months in each case. So, well, its not going to be a quick fix.

Additionally, there have also been some concerns about whether the new regime will robustly apply to cloud giants productivity and enterprise services to other businesses. So some legal fuzziness around cloud services may persist.

Asked if its confident the DMA will be an antitrust game-changer, a spokeswoman for Tutanota was doubtful it will prove a silver bullet to resolve the baked-in power imbalance between platforms and SMEs. A better way to resolve such issues is needed, she told us. Possibly the DMA will address this but consequences in cases of negligence on the gatekeepers side must be in place; otherwise it will be easy for them to continue to ignore small competitors.

As long as Big Tech companies do not have to fear any kind of consequence be it bad publicity or drastic fines they will not be interested to invest into fixing issues of competitors users which from their business perspective is understandable. This is exactly why we need better legislation in this regard.

We expect the DMA to be a good first step into this direction, though it will probably not address all issues, she added.

The Commission was contacted with questions on these issues but at the time of writing it had not responded. Well update this report if we hear back.

Link:

On cloud platforms and SME antitrust complaints - TechCrunch

Despite the legal industrys reluctance to fully embrace tech, the legaltech market has grown swiftly. According to Zion Market Research, it was valued at approximately $3,245 million in 2018 and is expected to grow tenfold by 2026. And once more companies in the field realize the value of tech-enabled benefits, others will jump on the bandwagon, too.

But how do you leap cabinets full of folders and clunky Excel sheets? The industrys resistance to innovation has been hampering growth, with disengaged teams with no proper training for handling modern software.

The best way to navigate doubts about going digital and cloud-based is by dispelling myths, showcasing advantages, and sharing the steps needed for a seamless and effective transition. This way, legal firms can confidently launch into the practices future, ready to take on all advantages of using cloud computing software.

Just like in any industry that handles sensitive information, data security is a primary concern for any legal company. In reality, the feeling seems similar to keeping cash under a mattress rather than in the bank over safety matters; even though cyber risks do exist, there is always an effective solution to prevent them. Every software is eventually targeted for cyber threats. Companies and software developers are in charge of implementing their cybersecurity architecture and deciding how many safety barriers they will execute according to their products needs.

Legal software companies usually get certified by implementing policies that assure law firms that their on-cloud activity is protected. Some of these certifications are ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27017. Antivirus, anti-spyware, and hardware firewalls are additional steps a firm can take to safeguard its operations. However, rest assured that with security-certified software, the SaaS providers IT team will vouch for the datas safety.

The security put in place by SaaS operating on the cloud also entails end-to-end encryption, data at rest encryption (when stored on servers), and in transit encryption (while traveling from the client to the providers server). Additionally, some SaaS operate on the cloud through web services, such as Amazon Web Services, which provide them with a platform to run on. These cloud computing services also have security systems; therefore, a law firms data is secured in several different layers.

One of the biggest reasons lawyers stay on the fence about switching to legaltech is cost and ROI hesitation. Often, practices prefer to stick to their old guns to avoid extra costs using cloud-based software; however, knowing how the software will help cut and control expenses is the trick. Though the market slowed down after the pandemic, companies that use this service still reported yearly revenue growth of 32% in 2021.

The most straightforward answer to the cost vs. benefit dilemma is that practice management automation tools used in legal software leverage artificial intelligence (AI). AI enables firms to work more efficiently, avoid missing billed hours, and reduce time spent on repetitive tasks. Using automation allows companies to negotiate accurate prices, showing the time each task takes. Thus, the software expenses will return as better time-tracking, better billing, and more time spent on billable activities.

AI is not just about keeping track of hours and calculating invoices. Another task it supports is document assembly, where tailored documents are generated by filling in basic information, making it an efficient process with little space for human error. And there are also benefits for clients. Automation boosts the client experience as some legal software offers customer relationship management (CRM) with self-service capabilities. This way, clients only need to answer a few questions to complete an entire document.

Moreover, AI takes an extra step to save time and costs with the technology-assisted review (TAR). This subset leverages machine learning (ML) to run complex tasks, and developing these processes requires the help of someone who inputs and regulates the information fed to it. For example, e-Discovery uses ML to find keywords in several documents, rank them by relevancy to the case, and delete duplicates, saving hours and even days of work. It also handles tasks like extracting data from text, identifying mistakes, missing definitions, and legal traps.

TARs heavily rely on predictive coding in ML and AI. Despite being in its early stages, predictive coding also helps filter documents according to tone, context, and concept in just minutes, sparing lawyers time scrutinizing endless files. However, this feature needs extensive tuning to work effectively, making it financially viable for only a few in Big Law. As technology advances, it will become more affordable for smaller law firms to leverage some of these options.

As a preliminary overview, there are several SaaS solutions to choose from with different features and pricing levels. Firms can leverage pricing according to their needs, thanks to legal software providers scalability and price range, making it accessible for practices of all sizes. Likewise, providers must also be clear about the charges and payment options based on the requested services. After weighing these factors, legal firms should make the right call depending on suitable providers and the size of the firms they assist. The switch should be relatively easy when selecting the most convenient option.

Most providers offer a free trial, so the client can test the product to ensure it meets their requirements even before making a decision. Starting with a SaaS solution should take a couple of hours to a few days but no more than that.

A key point of cloud-based SaaS is that they do not require additional server hardware or an in-house IT team, as the SaaS provides these tools on the cloud, saving companies more expenses. These IT teams are not just there to deliver a suitable product for companies but also to assist them with the transition. The process can be rocky, so legal firms should lean on the providers to help every step of the way. Otherwise, the product cannot function properly, and departments that rely heavily on it will be left unsatisfied.

The advantages of SaaS for legal companies are plentiful, and it is up to law firms to examine all of their options and go for the right fit. Legaltech continues to expand and evolve, and with it, new tools will take legal practice to the next level, making the job easier for lawyers in all fields.

Why do you think cloud-based SaaS is the future of legaltech? Let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. We would love to hear from you!

See more here:

Taking Law Firms to the Next Level With Cloud-Based SaaS - Spiceworks News and Insights

The integration of FinTech continues to revolutionize the way businesses interact with their consumers. What started as a viable solution to eliminating the need to carry physical currency has now become a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Basically, FinTech is a catch-all term used to describe software, mobile applications and other integrated technologies that improve and automate traditional forms of finance for businesses and their consumers. The financial infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) focuses on enabling FinTech companies to quickly facilitate highly secure transactions among an internal network while improving user experience. The complex (yet efficient) solution helps streamline fiscal transactions while simultaneously eliminating unnecessary steps throughout the transaction process. Ultimately, making financial transactions more affordable and accessible.

The integration of FinTech continues to bolster unprecedented growth within the business sector. The industrys rapid growth can be attributed to a shift in consumers lifestyles towards more accessible and affordable solutions. As a result, FinTech has been able to solidify a prominent role within business operations, however, needs to remain vigilant in adapting infrastructures to satisfy ever-changing consumer and industry demands.

With this goal in mind, FinTech companies have begun to innovate new solutions which include embracing the cloud within its infrastructures. With new integration, companies will have to determine whether using fintech-cloud computing entities will ultimately be an asset in achieving longevity and lucrative business growth or not.

FinTech companies are rapidly turning to the cloud to provide businesses and consumers with effective solutions. According to a research study, 87% of enterprises plan to accelerate their cloud migration by 2025. So, why is cloud computing becoming imperative for FinTech companies to integrate?

1. Agility: For businesses to compete, they must stay ahead of the competitive curve by reacting quickly to market changes. Cloud services satisfy this need by enabling companies to accelerate its scaling process. Businesses can scale their capacity up or down quickly to meet customer demand in real-time. As a result, providing a more cost-efficient solution.

2. Competitive Advantage: Within the financial industrys competitive landscape, it can be quite difficult for smaller companies to gain significant market share. Likewise, larger corporations struggle to retain customers as internal legacy IT practices hinder reaction rate times to changing customer demands. The cloud provides both entities with a better way to compete by offering a quicker alternative to meeting customers demands.

3. Enhanced Customer Experience: Millennials and Gen Z have transformed the banking industry by starting to view finances through the lens of technology. Cloud computing offers FinTech companies the opportunity to promote enhanced customer experience with consumer-centric web applications and improved efficiency metrics. Ultimately, providing the next generation of consumers with an accessible, agile and much more manageable solution that adheres to their technology-savvy lifestyle.

4. Cost-Effective: Businesses can incur significant infrastructure costs while developing and deploying FinTech products for a large customer base. Cloud adoption can help cut down costs by limiting usage, promoting elasticity of its products and adhering to an all-inclusive price.

5. Amplified Security Measures: With the ecosystem of hackers and cybercriminals continuing to evolve, companies must remain proactive in mitigating the potential risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. FinTech applications with weak security measures can compromise customer data and other private information. Consequently, leaving the door open to exploitation by malicious operators. Hybrid cloud architecture provides a more secure framework by allowing companies to build their own solutions in the cloud infrastructure they own, rather than in a shared environment within a shared network. As a result, they can be proactive and help eliminate potential data security risks.

Cloud computing integration continues to provide FinTech companies the opportunity to accelerate business growth. While there are a number of FinTech companies that have managed to achieve great success while using these infrastructures, other companies have failed.

Any company that invests in FinTech (or any other public cloud service) is susceptible to potential disadvantages. Its important that companies begin to identify these potential challenges and actively try to avoid them.

Here are potential limitations to consider:

1. Refusing to Use Existing Tools: Change is difficult to manage. Nevertheless, its important that companies continue to embrace new technology as they emerge. If FinTech companies refuse to build platforms using current technology, they run the risk of an influx of user discrepancies. On the contrary, if they decide to scale up, they run the risk of hindering the agility of the entire company. By using existing and open source technology, companies can proactively fix their problems and promote continuity in their infrastructures by eliminating outdated data, obscure patches and massive inefficiencies.

2. Ignoring Scope and Capacity: Using FinTech engineering requires an abundance of capacity planning to ensure an effective solution is created. Without planning, companies run the risk of creating infrastructures that cannot accommodate the volume of metrics used. This can result in killing dashboard performance and making troubleshooting issues impossible. Its important to plan at every stage regardless of what providers are used.

3. The Desire to Implement More than Required: Amid a fast-paced and competitive industry, FinTech engineers are constantly implementing new innovations to solidify their competitive advantage. Its important companies continue to innovate and improve their products; however, operations should not stray too far from their original scope of work. Businesses should work to eliminate unnecessary additions within their projects that could result in wasting a considerable amount of time and resources. Keep simple tasks simple.

4. Plan and Evaluate: Businesses need flexibility, independence and a cost structure to thrive. To achieve these marks, its necessary for companies to take the time to plan and evaluate each offering to determine which solution accommodates their business needs. Although switching providers might seem doable, doing so can result in a more complicated and expensive solution. Setting long-term objectives before deciding on a provider could make that eventual move simpler for your team.

The integration of FinTech and cloud computing services continues to impact the technology, finance and business sectors. The question of whether a FinTech-cloud computing structure is a more viable solution in businesses remains. By planning and evaluating each financial solution, businesses can determine which FinTech service is the most feasible for optimizing business objectives.

FinTech companies will always continue to provide safe and seamless solutions for their customers, however, its the companies who can capitalize on efficiency that will rise to the top. As FinTech and cloud integration continues to revolutionize customer-brand solutions, we will become closer to unveiling the future of FinTech and the lasting impacts it has on society.

Follow this link:

The Future of FinTech and the Cloud - DevOps.com