4 Cloud Computing Predictions for 2017

Did you know 90 percent of all organizations today either have apps running in the cloud, are planning to use cloud apps in the next 12 months or within one to three years?

It’s what experts are calling a “great migration.” Cloud computing is growing at lightning speed, in both its usage and significance around the world – we’re talkin’ explosive growth.

How big will it get? What’s next for the cloud?

As we think on how the industry is changing, here are our four predictions for what the cloud will bring in the New Year:

1. Investment in cloud technology will continue to climb.

Public cloud computing is growing almost 50 percent annually. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global adoption for cloud services in healthcare alone, will grow from $3.73 billion in 2015 to nearly $9.5 billion by 2020. 

“Cloud adoption is mainstream. It’s no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have in terms of meeting the new demands of IT,” said Michael Esposito, COO, A2U.

2. The cloud market will grow more in users and scope in 2017 than ever before.

A report by Cisco found that more than four-fifths of all data center traffic — 83 percent — will be based in the cloud within the next three years.

One thing is for sure: There’s no slowing down the cloud and here are a few key drivers we can point to:

• Cloud software provides flexibility and increased collaboration, meaning people can work from anywhere, any time on any device.
• Compliance with new industry regulations.
• Greater public trust in the cloud.
• More ways to buy services (e.g., on-demand, pre-paid, enterprise agreements).

“Because there are now a variety of ways to pay for cloud services, this improves budget planning. Businesses can predict these expenses – there aren’t any surprises,” said Esposito.

3. Cloud-based computing is especially on the rise in healthcare.

Physicians, hospital administrators and patients are demanding cost efficiency, access to information and security.

In fact, this week we announced a new partnership with Pyramid Healthcare which entails moving their systems to the cloud. Pyramid Healthcare is one of the largest behavioral healthcare providers in the country – an organization that consists of 12 brands, more than 80 facilities and 1,700 employees across three states.

Dan Dillman A2U CEO (left), Mike Unruh, IT Manager (right).

“The growth of the company continues at a rapid pace and now is the best time to transform the business and operate like a world-class IT organization,” said Mike Unruh, IT Manager, Pyramid Healthcare.

Pyramid Healthcare says this move will allow employees to access company email, data and resources from any device, anywhere and at any time.

Like Pyramid Healthcare, more and more healthcare systems are moving to the cloud to increase data security and protect their facilities from potential ransomware attacks, viruses and malware.

Virtual care is also top of mind for healthcare providers. This new care will be on the up, with 80 percent of patient interactions relying on the Internet of Things and big data (both benefit from cloud computing solutions). This means more patient-clinician interaction, as patient care will be increasingly delivered through mobile devices, wearable technology and more.

4. Lift-and-shift tools will improve to make cloud migration easier.

The lift-and-shift model is getting much better, more efficient. This is a big deal because these improved tools will accelerate the rate of cloud migration due to their low cost for bulk application migrations.

As we see it at A2U, cloud computing has been the most exciting and disruptive force in the tech market in the last decade. We expect the 2017 cloud story to look similar to what we’ve seen in 2016 but on a much larger scale.

If you’re in the process of reflecting on your business’ current technology and adjusting your strategy to accommodate new demands in the coming year, call us today at (888) 631- 2231 to learn more about the benefits of moving to the cloud.