3 Cloud Computing Trends for 2017

We live in exciting times right now. Technology is quickly transforming before our eyes, bringing changes to the way in which we view and interact with society.

One of these advancements is cloud computing, which is fueling interpersonal and professional connections through increased accessibility, better processing speeds and innovation the likes of which the world has never seen.

But the forward-thinking movement isn't over yet—here's what you should be watching for as 2017 approaches:

1. Hybrid cloud gets a boost
   Many companies are taking on more cloud infrastructure than ever to meet the expanding needs of their business strategies. This includes both public- and private-based options that allow for greater flexibility in terms of information sharing. While ZDNet reported this strategy will continue to increase in popularity, a lack of hybrid-cloud infrastructure will plague many organizations.

There are a couple of technologies out on the market that solve the issue many IT teams are currently facing. This is, of course, trying to protect and monitor data across multiple cloud portals. Solutions like Silverstring Predatar will likely gain steam through 2017 due to their ability to provide centralized service management automation and quicker data recovery speeds should anything go wrong.

With so much value being placed on the cloud, organizations simply can't afford to give up oversight because the framework isn't in place. Companies that succeed in 2017 will be those that bridge the gap between public and private cloud infrastructure.

More businesses will adopt a hybrid cloud management system in 2017.

2. More reliance means more scrutiny
   Over the past few years cybersecurity has been on the forefront of everyone's minds. How could it not be—a study by Gemalto reported over 700 million electronic records were breached in 2015. But a recent Right Scale survey found IT experts are more concerned about a lack of skilled IT personnel and resources in regard to cloud infrastructure than they are cybersecurity.

"Expertise has overtaken security as a primary cloud challenge."

For the first time in three years, security was upended in the report as the major challenge seen by respondents when it comes to using the cloud. This is likely because the number of businesses using the cloud has risen, as well as the amount of users and work done, according to the report.

In 2017, it wouldn't be unlikely if more organizations turned to cloud providers for help in setting up management and infrastructure tools for the cloud, as well as consultation about how to best allocate the company's given resources in an effort to attain the highest performance possible. As such, it's entirely possible new hires are made specifically to account for cloud deployment and management. Companies that best understand how to make the cloud work for them will undoubtedly yield the greatest benefits.

3. Paying attention to detail
   When the cloud first hit the tech sector, data-rich companies pushed swiftly to get their services up and running. But with that migration and integration came the lavish cost of buying a new solution in its first iteration. The cloud industry has struggled since then to lower costs and the Right Scale survey reported 26 percent of respondents see price as the biggest hurdle in 2017—an 8 percent year-over-year increase.

It's clear organizations will be looking for new ways to lower the cost of operating in the cloud, though a consensus option hasn't yet been seen. While it's obvious companies that offer affordable services will see more action in 2017, businesses also plan on trying these strategies:

• Cost management tools integrated with infrastructure.
• Automated workload shutdown.
• Shifting of active and inactive storage volumes.
• Moving cloud region.

Expect one of these techniques to come out on top as a valuable budget saver in 2017, and word will spread quickly when it does.