Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR): What does this wide array of new and exciting technology trends have in common? Answer: the cloud. With enhanced scalability and the ability for companies to buy into “as a service” models — instead of requiring complex infrastructure and specialized teams — the cloud and cloud service providers make the tech of tomorrow accessible by shouldering vast computing power through their data centers. For that reason, it’s no wonder cloud adoption will continue to soar throughout 2023.
When it comes to the cloud, companies have several options: public, private, or multi-cloud. While many cloud trends are being explored across all cloud environments — including cybersecurity, analytics, and enhanced digital transformation — there are several trends specific to each type of cloud that we will explore further in this blog. Read on to find out the top trends that will shape public, private, and multi-cloud environments this year and beyond.
The Top Private Cloud Trends in 2023
As a general statement, the private cloud story is one of growth. While the public cloud has long reigned as the go-to choice for companies, many more are now looking to private options for their most protected workload — so much so that the private cloud market is expected to grow by nearly 30% from 2022 to 2029 and reach more than $528 billion in total value.
A Focus on Cybersecurity
While large corporations typically choose a private cloud solution, particularly in the financial sector, a trend for 2023 will be the rise in private cloud adoption across a broader range of verticals (with cybersecurity being a major driver). As an increasing number of threats become more sophisticated, cybersecurity remains a top priority for IT teams and the private cloud offers more privacy than a public cloud alongside its benefits of flexibility and scalability.
The Rise of Private Cloud
As private cloud continues to grow, expect larger cloud providers to take note. In 2023, more public cloud providers are expected to enter the private cloud arena than ever. As an example, several hyperscalers are introducing their own private cloud platforms, such as Amazon’s Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), which enables the creation of an isolated network within its larger AWS cloud solution. Additionally, several other cloud service providers are offering private cloud services that operate in a private deployment model or separate infrastructure to provide customers with a private cloud experience.
The Top Public Cloud Trends in 2023
With so many major public clouds (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.) and a seemingly never-ending rollout of new features, apps, and services, identifying trends in the public cloud can be a challenge. However, there are a few common focuses between all of the major players in public cloud.
Sustainability Practices
One thing all public clouds will focus on in 2023 is sustainability as they seek to win over more users and buff up their ESG initiatives. Increasing the sustainability of digital apps and infrastructure is a priority for 90% of global IT leaders. Cloud providers are putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to climate change by setting aggressive net-zero goals, taking a closer look at corporate policies and goals, and rolling out a bevy of green features to users such as Google Cloud’s Carbon Sense Suite.
Cloud-Native Applications
Another trend for public cloud in 2023 will be the explosion of companies investing in cloud-native apps that are built and deployed specifically for public cloud. By building scalable, flexible, and resilient applications in this manner, companies will be better suited to quickly meet changing customer needs.
Cloud Sprawl
This dovetails into another trend — or, more accurately, another challenge — that IT teams are facing: cloud sprawl related to organizations’ rapidly growing portfolio of apps or software as a service (SaaS) solutions. As SaaS portfolios get larger by the minute, security and compliance concerns are also growing, driving the need to establish procurement and budget policies to better manage the sprawl. In addition to controlling the number of apps, it is also important to assess and track the utilization of your company’s software, too. Many IT teams are turning to cloud portfolio management solutions to get a clear and complete picture of their company’s large number of cloud assets.
Infrastructure as a Service
Worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is forecast to reach nearly $600 billion in 2023, which is up by more than 20% from $490 billion in 2022. And as more organizations embrace remote and hybrid work options, a strong focus will continue to be placed on investing in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Desktop as a Service (DaaS) solutions as well.
On-Prem Storage
Finally, the last key trend happening in the public cloud realm that we’ll touch on involves leveraging the public cloud to improve the delivery of on-premise storage services. IT professionals are looking for new ways to manage on-prem server and storage infrastructure, and the cloud provides a user-friendly operating system that can provide more efficient network operations.
Multi-Cloud Trends 2023
Up until now, hybrid cloud (where companies use the public cloud in combination with a private cloud or on-premise component) has been a prevailing strategy, but 2023 stands to be the year of multi-cloud (or the use of multiple public clouds to meet varied business needs).
Why? More businesses are realizing that there are advantages to diversifying their services across several different providers to reap the rewards of flexibility, security, and redundancy. With a multi-cloud approach, enterprises avoid reliance on a single provider, lessening the challenges created when a single provider stops supporting particular applications or makes significant service changes. In 2020, despite many CIOs indicating that they would like to use a multi-cloud approach, 71% of companies were still primarily reliant on a single public cloud. According to Statista, as many as 90% of large enterprises were using a multi-cloud approach in 2021 and the figure is expected to rise to 93% by 2023.
As companies continue to adopt multi-cloud strategies, many IT teams will be focused on keeping their networks secure, implementing zero-trust access, and seeking out other defensive technologies to reduce the threat of cyberattacks.
Additionally, using more than one cloud adds extra complexity to a company’s network. To keep an eye on all aspects of a multi-faceted network, it is critical for IT teams to achieve end-to-end visibility across the entire IT stack. Using AI to automate tasks and simplify operations, in addition to enlisting the help of a reliable portfolio management tool will be crucial to keeping your network running smoothly.
To learn more about the trends above, download our white paper, “Cloud Predictions for 2023: The Future of Public, Private and Multi-Cloud” now.
At Maven Wave / Atos, we’re doing our part to not only develop reliable, scalable cloud strategies for enterprises but also to work together to create a more productive and sustainable digital future. As a leading cloud partner for over a decade, we have the expertise to guide businesses through every stage of their cloud journey.
To learn more about Maven Wave / Atos’ innovative, cloud-powered digital solutions, contact us.
About the Author
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
Rockwell Collins Enters the Next Phase of Computing
Rockwell Collins is a Fortune 500 company with employees located across the globe, who needed to leverage technology to collaborate better and to work more efficiently. Google Apps is moving Rockwell Collins into the next era of user-centric computing by allowing employees to use technology at work the same way they do at home.
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