The Future of Cloud Computing

I chose to blog about cloud computing as it is an increasingly more popular approach to storing data.  Although there are some drawbacks, there are many advantages for a company to move to the cloud.  The article I chose to focus on mentions how many big companies have not made any moves to the cloud yet, an interesting fact to note considering this market is expanding rapidly, but only time will tell.  Compared to big companies, Microsoft is said to have a strong start to gaining lead in the cloud market, creating concern for its competitors such as Google and Amazon.  After reading more about the cloud, I think the cloud is a great option for businesses, I believe it will hold a major role in the future of data storage and management. 

The cloud market is growing mainly due to the fact that a number of companies, such as Netflix and Adobe, have decided to drastically reduce or even eliminate their data centers (King).  Many companies want out of the data center business and strive to move core business applications to the cloud.  This shift has expanded the market opportunity and the market for cloud services is expected to rise to $27.4 billion in 2016, up from $14.9 billion in 2014 (King).  Microsoft, being a quite mature tech company, has been struggling to grow over the years but it has recently made aggressive moves to take advantage of the expanding cloud services market.

Despite Microsoft’s lead, I think companies, both big and small, need to recognize that the cloud will be a big part of the future world of technology.  Although it is certainly a big change, I think the benefits that go along with the move will make companies reconsider.  Cloud computing helps achieve economies of scale as it increases volume output with fewer people.  Cloud computing is green!  It uses less electricity and hardware is fully utilized yielding more efficient power use.  Companies only need to pay for the storage they actually use, depending on how much storage they need at a given time.  It allows data to be accessed globally, as long as there is Internet connection, making it easy and more affordable for companies to expand their workforce.  It can reduce capital costs as a company no longer needs to invest in hardware, software, updates or licensing fees (Delaney).  Just from these advantages alone, I am convinced that cloud computing will benefit companies in the long run and they should consider making the move.

Primary Source: Darrow, Barb. "As Big Companies Move Email to the Cloud, Microsoft Shows Strength." Fortune. N.p., 01 Feb. 2016. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.

Delaney, Laurel. "10 Benefits of Cloud Computing." 10 Benefits of Cloud Computing. N.p., Web. 06 Feb. 2016.

King, Rachael, and Angus Loten. "Rising Cloud Sales at Microsoft, Amazon Reflect Bigger Shift in Enterprise Market." The Wall Street Journal. The CIO Report, 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 05 Feb. 2016.