Skip to main content

Meta-Cloud: a Coexistence of Distinct Service Providers

CIOs have recognized that they must plan for a world where many cloud platforms coexist together, supporting the diverse needs of user groups within their midst. To some informed cloud service buyers, the notion of a one-size-fits-all public cloud offering now seems absurd.

Granted, a typical IT manager's role could be simpler if they only used one vendor for all use cases and associated cloud applications. But the savvy Line of Business leaders won't let that happen -- they'll continue to demand best-fit solutions. It's an important Hybrid IT infrastructure strategy.

IHS Markit interviewed the key decision makers at 158 North American organizations about the adoption of on-premises cloud architecture within the enterprise, purchase of off-premises cloud services now, and how they plan to evolve their use of off-premises cloud services over the next two years.

Cloud Computing Market Development Trends

Enterprise respondents to the cloud services survey plan to spend 17 percent of their IT budgets on off-premises cloud services by 2017 -- that's estimated to be an increase of 58 percent over 2015.

Moreover, survey respondents expect to increase or maintain adoption in all categories of cloud computing services through 2018 -- including infrastructure as a service (IaaS), cloud as a service (CaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and software as a service (SaaS).


That said, here's the key revelation from this market study: survey respondents indicate they will likely use many different cloud service providers. On average, they anticipate using as many as eight distinct cloud service providers by 2018 -- driven primarily by the specialized needs of their internal business users.

The adoption of multiple cloud service providers is in-line with the IHS market outlook for off-premises public and private cloud computing services, which projects a move to a distributed architecture enabling a 'cloud of clouds' -- what they've referred to as a Meta-Cloud model.

Demand for a Cloud Coexistence Strategies

IHS analysts believe that the Meta-Cloud model will become increasingly important, as consuming off-premises cloud services from many different vendors will likely be a management challenge for most enterprise IT organizations.

According to the IHS assessment, there are significant opportunities for vendors that act as cloud service brokers. They'll provide a single connection to an enterprise with a service-level agreement (SLA) and single point of management by which the IT organization can access a variety of purpose-build cloud services.

With an average of 22 percent of physical servers, 17 percent of virtual machines and 12 percent of Linux containers expected to be in use within off-premises data centers by 2018, network equipment vendors must demonstrate how their equipment can be part of a cohesive hybrid cloud deployment -- where interoperability between network management, server virtualization and data center orchestration software is a critical factor for success.

Popular posts from this blog

How Savvy Pioneers Lead the Future of Work

Hybrid and fully remote work are inevitable in the Global Networked Economy where high-performance talent demands flexibility from employers. To enable these progressive work models, organizations are investing in a wide range of technologies to support more agile types of employment.  According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), leading organizations will spend nearly $1 billion on the Future of Work (FoW) in 2023 -- that's an increase of 18.8 percent over 2022. Future of Work Market Development "Work models continue to evolve, but 37 percent of decision-makers in a recent global survey note that Remote and Hybrid work models will be an embedded part of accepted work practices, supported by a continued shift to the cloud, increasingly instrumented and interconnected physical workplaces, and intelligent digital workspaces," said Holly Muscolino, group vice president at IDC . According to the IDC assessment, organizations must mak

Human Resource Transformation Enabled by IT

Many senior executives are taking a proactive approach to digital business transformation in order to achieve their strategic goals. Delivering revenue growth and profitability is now imperative for every function, including Human Resources (HR). The top 3 priority HR technologies this year are skills management, learning experience platforms, and internal talent marketplaces, according to the latest worldwide market study by Gartner. "With a tumultuous global economy, HR technology leaders face a balancing act in 2023," said Sam Grinter, director at Gartner . "Leaders must anticipate greater levels of accountability and demand for measurable outcomes to justify new technology investments." HR Transformation Market Development Forty-four percent of HR leaders report driving better business outcomes is their number one strategic priority for HR technology transformation over the next three years. Growth in headcount and skills (26 percent) and cost optimization (17 p

Virtual Reality Market Set to Reach $100 Billion

Virtual Reality (VR) market growth is now finally coming to fruition. Thanks to current actions and market momentum, VR is approaching what can be considered critical mass. And, not a moment too soon. This growth momentum comes from new hardware and content releases, accelerating enterprise value recognition, and a significant metaverse wild card that could potentially lift adoption and usage. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, over 85 million VR Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) will be shipped in 2027 across consumer and enterprise segments, creating a $100 billion VR market that includes hardware, software, and services. Virtual Reality Market Development "Expectations have been high in VR for years, and even decades, without notable growth to show. That growth is finally coming over the next five years," said Eric Abbruzzese, research director at ABI Research . The barrier to entry is lower than ever, all while content performance and user experien