2017 Tech Predictions for the Cloud

Over the last few years I’ve helped the largest enterprises on the planet design, build, and manage cloud deployments, and it’s clear that one of the most revolutionary technologies to impact the Enterprise has to be the one behind hybrid cloud computing. Every year brings new and unexpected twists and changes for this technology. 2017 is going to be no exception!

Tech gurus are always seen making predictions about how the public and private cloud technologies will pan out in the future. Of course not all predictions come true, and in fact things rarely pan out the way we expect, but what’s the harm doing a little forecasting!

Here’s a quick rundown on what I feel 2017 would look like for cloud computing, based on the trends I’ve observed at multiple customers, and some predictive corrector techniques that my mentor Tom Hite has taught me.

0.    Automation key to achieving Cloud vision

The base case for automation is plugging in hardware, and having automation build the entire stack in a prescriptive manner, such that the output is a stack capable of hosting workloads quickly, efficiently and in a standardized manner. Automation is to success here, and in 2017 it’s going to go even further up the stack. There are multiple vectors here including automation of the Hardware, Virtualization, Networking, Storage, and Systems layers to present a uniform surface area to place workloads and manage their lifecycle. Customers working with high density cloud computing have already mastered the art of Cloud Automation to build and manage large scale environments successfully Those that have mastered this are poised to work further up the stack, such that they can present their Developers and other end users services quickly and in an environment (private, hybrid, public clouds) that fits the application needs. Since there is a lack of standardization for cloud automation frameworks, 2017 is also a year of consolidation for automation, as platforms claiming to be orchestration engines are absorbed into larger frameworks, or absolved by the IT engineers at enterprises.

1.    Time to Market remains as primary driver

It’s true that cloud does have some amazing cost saving advantages to offer. But, that’s not the biggest driving force that inspires organizations to switch to cloud computing. The biggest driver that most organizations seek is the agility (Time to Market for applications and updates). They need agility to cater to their ever changing industry demands. Organizations are quickly coming to the grasps of the fact that existing IT infrastructure and traditional approaches fail to provide them with the flexibility that they need to successfully maintain a profitable and growing client base.

2.    Shortage of Fullstack Architects and Engineers

Finding Fullstack Architects and Engineers has been a struggle for enterprises. A Fullstack Architect must have the creativity of a Software Developer capable of envisioning the possible, along with the discipline of an Operations Engineer able to leverage a DevOps approach to configurations and infrastructure, and finally the wisdom of an experienced systems administrator capable of building and running a scalable yet secure system. Most enterprises will hire talented folks within one of these three buckets, and a few will be lucky to build a productive team with two of the required talents. Very few teams will be able to find workers who are capable of spanning all three areas of expertise, and these are the teams who will be able to make great strides in 2017.

3.    Simplicity in Cloud Design

Traditionally cloud designs have been complex, trying to balance Storage, Networking, Compute, and Use Cases. Not to mention the added complexity of Access Control, Loadbalancing, Configuration Management, Monitoring, and Reporting. In 2017 there will definitely be a push for cloud architects and developers is to begin with simple designs and afterward add more complexity as specific use cases require carve-outs. Typically Beginning with a complex framework implies increasing that multifaceted nature of the design as you scale, adding to the danger of a security and risk exposures. Starting with a set of simple designs such as the VMware Validated Designs will help enterprises build Scalable, Flexible, and Secure cloud environments.

4.    Increased money saving options

The thing that makes cloud computing cost effective is the whole pay-as-you-go paradigm on which the service charges are based. The users pay per usage. Additionally, 2017 is expected to bring along several more money saving options for cloud computing. There are already many ways to buy cloud services in a cost-effective way – prepaid, on demand, and within reserved capacity. The New Year will continue to follow this trend. So you can expect a rise in the market for cloud cost management tools.

5.    Increased awareness to fight security threats

The year 2017 is expected to be the year of ‘great migration’. The migration towards larger hybrid cloud based computing. Therefore both Enterprises and Service Providers will find themselves dealing with more workloads than before. The migration is also likely to bring with it the possibilities of running into new and unexpected problems, as multiple new workloads will open new surface areas of attack, and more nuanced threat vectors. Businesses will have to balance polar-opposite priorities, such as providing customers data on every device, while securing such access against intrusion. In this regard they will have to be more vigilant and careful about fighting security threats and any lingering unexpected issues, while also minimizing the risk of public exposure of private data retained by them.

6.    Hybrid cloud to dominate the cloud adoption model

Many CIOs that I’ve helped, initially elected to deploy only private cloud computing, to minimize the risks associated with data breaches. But, now it’s very likely that they will find themselves switching to a hybrid cloud strategy owing to several reasons including time to market, access, and CapEx/OpsEx tradeoffs. The truth is, building and maintaining non-cloud infrastructure is quite time consuming and costly commitment. Hybrid cloud on the other hand, does the same job for lot less headache, cuts the complexity, and for a lot less money. So you can expect a major move towards the Hybrid cloud.

7.    Application Placement Rationalization

Casual vs. Critical applications, these terms have really helped customers rationalize where (Hybrid or Public) the application should be place and made available. Based on the availability impact, risk exposure, and compliance needs, each application can be placed either on a Publically avialble cloud, or a hybrid environment with integrations into Enterprise back-office. To clear it up further, a Casual application for example is one that displays company locations given a Zipcode, incase of a Denial of Service attack, impact from unavailability of such an application can acceptable and managed. A Critical application for example is one that performs banking deposits and withdrawals; outage of such an application can have massive impact. Assuring availability and security of such a Critical application will be paramount for customers, and many CIOs will have their bonuses tied to supporting strict service levels for such an application.

8.    Right sized clouds

A lot of companies host enterprise apps in hybrid clouds. It is suggestive of the fact that CIOs are becoming more comfortable in hosting software in public cloud. Companies like Dollar Shave Club and Cardinal Health run their software in AWS, whereas financial institutions such as banks will run their applications within a Hybrid cloud. You can expect this trend to continue as the CIOs start relying more heavily on the internal and external cloud service providers. With guidance from the security, compliance, and market expertise, you can expect to see more and more enterprises apps moving towards the right cloud environment in 2017.

9.    Slowness for on-premise infrastructure

There are some industries for which it is unthinkable to ditch their own data centers and rely on third party service providers for the safety and integrity of their data. But, in 2017 that would be a huge possibility, given that many cloud providers are getting compliance certifications such as FEDRAMP. Companies are more openly expressing the desire to ditch their own data centers to avoid the trouble of managing one. The trend will continue to follow and more and more companies will opt out of on-premise infrastructure and move towards hybrid cloud computing.

10. Conservative industries adopting cloud

A lot of companies have already adopted the ‘cloud first’ model; most startups are going this route first. But, in 2017 the number of players to make this move will increase. A lot of industry players wait for the leader to make the first move, before they could follow them. Once the biggest industry players have made that move, it will cause a trigger motivating a massive move to the cloud computing. Typically barriers to this movement have been 3rd party integrations, compliance needs, and talent shortages at enterprises. Given that many customers are starting to see the value of decreasing complexity for their own operations, and getting more confident with managing compliance with risk, it’s safe to assume that organizations that have been avoiding cloud until now are likely to adopt it soon enough.

11. Cloud momentum will continue to grow

The fallout is likely to manifest in multiple ways. IT companies that are still following the traditional paradigm will find themselves struggling and adapting to their new role. A lot of vendors may find it hard to do business in a world that may seem brand new to them. The struggles may have a knock on effect on skills, jobs, and roles. It’s true that cloud brings new opportunities, but it’s only true for entities that are ready to embrace a new technology world with open arms. Specifically companies that are moving further up the stack from Infrastructure as a Service towards Platforms as a Service, and automating the Fullstack of the Application Software Development Lifecycle.

12. Hybrid cloud networking to explode

Hybrid cloud has already arrived thanks to Software Defined Networking (SDN), but it has not taken the industry by storm yet. The arrival was still in the infancy stage within 2016, and in 2017 it’ll be able to make major impact and become a mainstream deployment option. Therefore, in 2017 you can expect the things to be fast for hybrid cloud networking, as SDN starts to accelerate Time to Market for customers. Organization that’ll best succeed here are the ones who can seamlessly integrate hybrid cloud networking and management tools into their operations.

That pretty much sums up the biggest predictions for cloud computing. However, when it comes to technology of any kind, the whole ‘expect the unexpected’ approach is the best one. These predictions are based on my customer interactions, and please take these predictions with a grain of salt. In no specific way do they represent the views of my employer. Wishing you and your teams a very productive 2017.