With cloud the core technology driving innovation and transformation today, it’s become ingrained in nearly every aspect of business. From optimizing operations and enabling artificial intelligence to powering hybrid work, cloud computing is everywhere.
In 2024, cloud will continue to grow as more companies use it to increase efficiency and accelerate growth. We’re way past the days of business leaders debating the pros and cons of cloud computing. Across industries, it’s become essential to remaining competitive.
Beyond more growth, what are the top cloud computing trends in 2024?
Research firm Omdia says cloud computing will enter what it calls “late majority stage of technology adoption” this year with about 50% of workloads running in the cloud compared to 20% running in legacy on-premises systems.
Many factors are driving cloud adoption, including demand for generative AI, machine learning, cost savings, and the ongoing quest for business agility.
Graphics processing units (GPUs) have been around for years, doing the math for 3D rendering in gaming. Compared to CPUs, GPUs offer much faster and efficient computing.
Today, they’ve expanded beyond gaming to provide the high-performance computing power needed for machine learning, generative AI, scientific simulations, and other data-intensive work.
This trend has fueled a new GPU cloud computing market, where service providers provide subscription- or fee-based computing power to businesses.
As organizations aim to optimize operations, improve CX, and drive innovation, they're turning to various cloud types. Learn the pros and cons so you can make the right decision for your org.
IDC expects the 5G/LTE market to grow to $5.2 billion by 2027, with much of that growth driven by manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics verticals.
5G provides high-speed, low-latency connectivity for edge computing, which brings network functionality closer to where data is generated. Use cases include point-of-sale (POS) registers, street cameras, and autonomous vehicles.
Along with edge computing, cloud computing technologies will play a big role in supporting 5G’s growth and helping companies transform their operations.
For example, retailers could use real-time data collected from sensors in stores to improve inventory management. Small retailers would have access to technology that can help them boost their POS systems to accept new forms of payment.
5G growth also promises to provide infrastructure to support development of autonomous vehicles.
With the number of security breaches continuing to grow and data privacy regulations increasing, businesses and their cloud service providers are focused on security and privacy.
Cloud security encompasses everything from access controls and authentication to encryption and monitoring. Risk management and governance frameworks are other data protection essentials.
Choice of cloud type also is a factor in security and regulatory compliance. Sovereign clouds, for example, store and process data within national borders so that companies can comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR.
With the right cloud data protection, companies can balance the risk of generative AI-driven innovation with data security requirements.
Demand for industry clouds tailored to meet an industry’s specific needs will continue to grow in 2024. Gartner believes industry cloud platforms with composable capabilities are a key trend driving cloud spending.
Gen AI adoption is helping to drive growth of industry cloud platforms since industry verticals might need customization to adopt the technology, Gartner said.
A Deloitte study found that 74% of organizations seeing success with their cloud investments view industry clouds as a catalyst for transformation and automation of industry-specific processes.
Increased governmental requirements coupled with the rise of environmentally conscious consumers have made sustainability a top priority for businesses. And they’re turning to the cloud to help them achieve their sustainability goals.
By running an application, workload, or entire data center in a cloud instead of on-prem, an organization can gain tremendous energy efficiency.
A McKinsey Digital study found that using technologies like AI and machine learning in the cloud can help accelerate decarbonization initiatives and also abate up to nearly half of the 65 metric gigatons of the CO2 researchers estimate is required to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Companies also are looking to the cloud to help them monitor and manage their greenhouse gas emissions for regulatory compliance.
With many businesses focused on net zero, carbon accounting has become a priority. Learn how organizations can track their greenhouse gas emissions, and the benefits and challenges of carbon accounting.
While cloud has proven itself a transformative technology across all industries and facets of business, there’s a lot more potential ahead.
The growing trend of low-code/no-code tools makes it possible for non-technical business users to develop applications. Using an intuitive, graphical interface, LCNC tools relieve users of the need to write code line by line, which speeds development and innovation.
Another emerging cloud trend is making quantum computing a reality for more businesses. Large cloud providers like IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft now offer managed quantum computing services, which organizations can use to speed scientific research, software development, financial risk analysis.
Cloud-based quantum computing offers the ability to tackle complex problems in a variety of industries, opening the door to endless possibilities.
