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May 10, 2014 | Categories /

Gartner predicted that 2013 would be a year of growth and they were spot on. And, since all 5 of our predictions for 2013 came to pass as well, we’ve decided to give it another go for 2014.

Prediction #1: IT Gets Top Dog Status

For years, the IT group has been the forgotten department. But this year, more than ever, enterprises will begin to realize the importance of those behind the scenes geniuses. With the importance of accessible, reliable, and safe data becoming more relevant, IT will shift from back-office support to frontline value delivery. Look for more involvement, earlier on as enterprises begin to consult with IT on growth strategies and data security.

Prediction #2: Private Cloud Will Have It’s Moment of Truth

Early on in cloud migration, enterprises with privacy and security concerns initially developed private cloud initiatives to serve their needs. This year, we’ll begin to see more scrutiny surrounding those solutions. Cost benefit analysis for private cloud solutions will take on a large role as enterprises look to determine next steps for future growth and security needs. Some areas that will be looked at include; Time to Deploy, Density, Elastic Scale, Resiliency (including Security/Isolation), Runtime Performance and, of course, Cost.

Prediction #3: Cloud “Brokerage” Will Come Into Focus

The Hybrid cloud will begin to see more demand as enterprises that had previously opted for private cloud computing begin to recognize the benefit of infrastructure management over asset ownership.

Prediction #4: AWS and Azure Will Continue to Dominate the Cloud

Let’s be honest, Amazon and Microsoft are both strong competitors who offer good cloud products that fit the masses. They have huge marketing presence and are blazing the trail for the industry through product innovation and acquisition. This year, both companies will maintain their momentum.

Prediction #5: VMware’s vCHS Will Gain More Attention

While Amazon and Microsoft have been forging ahead, VMware has long been a powerhouse behind the scenes, offering superior products direct to hosting providers. In 2014, we’ll begin to see more of their cloud offering as they begin to market their vCHS direct to the enterprise.

Prediction #6: The Price War for Cloud Will Begin

With so many large enterprises migrating to the cloud, and so many similar offerings, we’ll begin to see the large providers begin to compete on price to maintain market share. For smaller providers who aren’t in a position to compete on pricing, know what you do well, continue to focus on that, and ride it out. If you haven’t had a chance to compare the services already between AWS and Azure, we’d posted an article comparing the services.

Prediction #7: Big Data…it’s even bigger than last year

With the constant recording of data, comes the possibilites of what to do with all that knowledge. This year, we’ll begin to hear even more about how enterprises are storing and analyzing that data. Industry professionals are predicting big data analytics will be a $51B business by 2016.

Prediction #8: We’ll Finally Know What The Fox Says

If you weren’t one of the 331 million viewers who’ve already clicked to learn What Does The Fox Say, here’s a link.

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