Adaptability Is Key: 4 Predictions On Cloud Migration And Innovation In 2022

By Manoj Kalyanaraman, Vice President of Product and Engineering, BitTitan

As 2022 quickly approaches, it’s essential to understand the recent shifts surrounding cloud migration that will impact the year to come. Over the last 18 months, there has been a steady increase in reliance on cloud technologies. With enterprises on both a national and international level moving toward remote work, quick adjustments are being made. The need to gain a better understanding of cloud technologies and how they can work best for us is of growing importance.

Below are a few cloud industry predictions for the upcoming year.

The Amalgamation Of Cloud Applications

Convenience is key for many enterprises seeking a vendor for their cloud application services. Major software providers such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and other prominent SaaS players know this and work toward becoming the single vendor that crosses over technology ecosystems. The market may consolidate, as some of the larger vendors look to acquire single-app vendors to strengthen their tech-stack offerings. Offering multiple capabilities under one umbrella, such as office suite applications, collaboration, meeting infrastructure, IaaS and more is a major draw for businesses aiming to enter the cloud.

Most businesses will prefer to adopt these suite-style services, as it is more cohesive, manageable, and cost-effective to have a sole provider rather than multiple. Companies that already rely on specific providers for proven applications may maintain some form of brand loyalty, as well. Businesses that rely on Microsoft for their collaboration offerings and mail may feel more inclined to utilize Microsoft Dynamics as their CRM, for example. Similarly, those already familiarized with Salesforce may gravitate toward Slack as their communications platform.

With cloud usage becoming more ubiquitous, tech companies will now push for expansion in a variety of ways, including offerings around workplace collaboration (like Microsoft Teams), Power BI, and more.

How The Approach To Data Security Evolves

In the past, IT teams had high control over data management and security when leveraging on-premises software. With the introduction of cloud applications, IT teams will need to evolve their thinking on security, their policies of managing it, and consider data sovereignty, as well.

A myriad of laws and legislation surrounding data sovereignty exists globally and varies by region. An increased focus on data protection, rules of compliance, and growing regulatory fragmentation will lead to new regional cloud ecosystems and data services.

Questions that IT teams must address to mitigate cloud-security risks include:

• Have data sovereignty regulations been considered, and has your team ensured that these rules can be met?
• Is one cloud tenant or are multiple tenants needed for your data protection?
• Is a regional cloud ecosystem reliable for you?
• When your core business systems rely on cloud service providers, what is your business continuity plan (BCP)?

Each region and country has its own rules and regulations when it comes to cloud services. For global companies seeking to migrate data, they must adhere to regional data sovereignty rules and keep data in-region as needed to meet these requirements. This is critical to ensuring your data remains protected.

An Increased Interest In ESG Prioritization

Among businesses and corporations, a new emergence of consideration surrounding environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) plays a vital role in whether investors are inclined to buy into your company. There is a growing emphasis on initiatives concerning sustainability and environmental causes such as carbon-neutral goals and climate change that could influence whether a customer utilizes your company's services.

A business that highlights its care for the planet and its people is of increasing importance to the public, so this may shift the idea of which companies are valued more than others. While a company's reputation is not limited to its ESG score, prospective clients, customers, and investors may be influenced by how a company treats its employees, handles social issues, and the company's geopolitical view.

Is the company socially and environmentally conscious? Is worker satisfaction high or is morale low? Is the current workplace culture sustainable?

Investments and business activity will follow those companies that score well and demonstrate their dedication to sustainability, carbon-neutral initiatives, broader social issues, and team member satisfaction. Companies must think long-term to remain successful. There are sustainable funds that exist so that investors can contribute to companies that meet ESG criteria and adhere to sustainability goals. Enterprises that fail to factor ESG into their long-term planning risk falling behind.

Government Investment In Cloud Infrastructures

As cloud infrastructures are relied upon more broadly, government entities looking to adopt them will need specific adaptations to be made. Currently, all cloud providers offer cloud services for the U.S government that cater to their unique needs. Given their growing capabilities, public cloud providers will expand their offerings to government organizations in various countries and regions.

Microsoft, for example, provided the National Health Service in the U.K with a specialized package for their Microsoft Teams usage during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This enabled collaboration for all doctors in the NHS and was a use case for developing a business model around government organizations leveraging the public cloud.

The scale and efficiency with which Microsoft and others have fundamentally built their public clouds for private companies to use could transform into digital environments that are specifically targeted for governments. Government entities are significant users of data and computing, so it makes logical sense to provide them with enhanced security features through captive tenants.

As the cloud industry evolves and its priorities change, security surrounding the cloud will continue to evolve as well. Staying current with these trends and maintaining competency of these realities is how MSP businesses can keep up with the times, stay on their toes, and provide their services in the most valuable way possible. Adaptability, as always, is key.

About The Author 

Manoj Kalyanaraman is vice president of product and engineering at BitTitan, where he leads product strategy and execution of MigrationWiz and is site leader of BitTitan's research and development center in Singapore. Manoj has over 20 years of experience leading global product teams and setting up innovation centers in APAC and the U.S. His areas of expertise include product strategy, cloud, mobile, architecture, digital transformation, and organizational leadership.