The State of the Cloud

Cloud computing and cloud IT are actively changing the way that we work. All the way from the board room to the server room, we are seeing a shift in technology the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Internet loaded its way onto our computer screens. So what does that mean for the IT world and the type of workplace that the next generation of IT professionals will experience?

In January, RightScale conducted their fifth annual State of the Cloud Survey of the latest trends in cloud computing and focused on infrastructure as a service. After reviewing the results here are some of the main points that jumped out at us.

Cloud Adoption is On the Rise

It’s no big surprise that cloud adoption as a whole is on the rise. In 2016, 95% of the people surveyed are now using some form of cloud infrastructure. Private cloud environments went up from 63% in 2015 to 77% in 2016 and the adoption of hybrid cloud infrastructures went up to 71% this year from 58% last year.

Enterprise Workload is Shifting to the Cloud

Perhaps because of the rise in private cloud environments, the amount of enterprises with more than 1,000 virtual machines in the cloud have gone up to 48% from 25% last year. The majority of those have been the result of private cloud environments, though, with the adoption of those environments making up for 31%.

Challenges in the Cloud Have Shifted

Resources and expertise seem to have overtaken security as the top challenge when it comes to cloud adoption. Security is still seen as the second biggest concern with compliance coming in third. Bottom line is that, as more workloads are being migrated to the cloud, more expertise is needed to manage them and that requires people and training.

Across the board, we’re seeing a major shift in infrastructure and one that’s going to continue in the coming years. As 2016 continues, we’ll be monitoring these and other factors pertaining to cloud usage and will continue to provide updates as we see them.

What trends are you seeing in cloud computing? Add your insights in the comments below!