IT Trends 2021 – The Cloud-centric approach

The move to the Cloud is more urgent than it has ever been, following the fast shift to our new remote working environment and its requirements. Among other things, a Cloud centric approach supports the new PAYG IT consumption model that enables business to conserve capital.

IDC predicted that, by 2024, 63% of enterprise infrastructure hardware spending will be dedicated to Cloud technologies: “In the future of Digital Infrastructure, enterprises will implement more adaptive and flexible infrastructure architectures increasingly built on cloud-centric technologies, more ubiquitous deployment options, and more automated IT operations.”

Karl RoeKarl Roe, VP of Digital Transformation and Customer Success at the Nuvias Group, believes the Channel needs to keep pace with the transition to the Cloud, a necessary but complex move that has been gathering momentum:

The move to the Cloud, which already was in full flow and had great momentum prior to the pandemic, has undoubtedly received a boost from the current environment and its related needs.

Adopting a Cloud-first and a Cloud-centric approach to your ICT needs, isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially when it comes to back-end systems like ERP. But it is a journey that is worth the time and effort, as it speeds up collaboration and automation.

In 2020 we have seen the move to the edge gathering pace. Understanding the network layer and the security requirements of Cloud delivered services is very important. Securing and optimising these Cloud technologies is becoming more of an imperative, by the day.

The drivers and benefits of moving to the Cloud are not just technological, they are commercial too: the growth of Software-aaS relies on the Cloud gathering momentum, with businesses looking to conserve capital and consume technology in a more flexible and efficient way. Cloud services providers and MSPs offering PAYG consumption models, will continue to prosper in 2021 as their commercial models fit the market demand of a rising percentage of customers.

The Channel must keep pace and tune its methods of operation to the new normal, leveraging the technology it advocates, to deliver a better customer service and a great customer experience.