2015 Cloud Hosting Predictions & Forecasts

Featured article by Manoj “Marty” Puranik, founder, president and CEO of Atlantic.Net

With 2015 right around the corner, now is a great time to identify what the big trends for next year are going to be in the world of cloud computing and virtualization. With growth across the board for cloud service providers this year – in compute and storage, archiving, messaging/email and specialized applications – we can expect more of the same in 2015. Here are some ideas for the larger trends taking shape for next year.

SSD (Solid State Disks) becomes the de-facto standard for online compute. With the rapid drop in price, as well as larger capacity and read/write endurance, SSD storage solves major problems of IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) primarily affecting web servers and databases. With the faster I/O, everything works better and requires less iron to accomplish the same goals. While an extravagance in 2014, SSD will become the de-facto standard in 2015.

Bandwidth prices continue to plummet, meaning more bang for your buck when purchasing Internet transit. Traditionally, service providers have been charging for egress transit to the Internet on a per-gigabyte (per GB) basis. Expect to see more packages which include large allotments of bandwidth, commensurate with the lower cost of bandwidth and multitude of carrier offerings. Buyers will need to be careful that their providers have good connectivity to their customers and partners so they aren’t caught in a battle between larger operators who may impede traffic speeds on some routes – as we saw with the Netflix/Comcast spat.

The continued rise as of the software developer hits its stride and actually accelerates. With developers and “devops” (developer & operations) taking on more responsibility for an increasingly complex cloud hosting world, expect to see them exert even more control in purchasing decisions and architecture solutions as organizations want zero excuses and near flawless execution. Increasing speed, compliance, and security of projects means the developer is now calling more and more of the shots.

Rise of certifications begins to take steam.  Amazon Web Services (AWS) already offers boot camps and certifications at its “Re: Invent” conferences. Organizations, looking not just for manpower but for the right manpower, will look to third-party certifications to help them assess and find the right people for the task at hand. With an increasing choice of virtually everything, from hosting providers, databases, and architectures, certifications will be one way to differentiate and prove value in a cloud compute world increasingly filled with jargon. People with certifications get a big leg up on the competition in 2015, including compensation.

As mobile web applications grow, expect to see more resources and tools specific to the mobile industry, including back-end and server solutions. While Apple has introduced its Swift programming language this year, for example, expect to see similar tools for the back-end and server side to expedite development of apps across multiple platforms. Companies like Kony, who promise a write-once run across multiple mobile devices including Android (Google) and iOS (Apple) phones/tablets, continue to gain traction as people look for similar tools on the server side. The company that wins simplifying a complex mobile world will be the next billion dollar idea.

Cloud Hosting providers segment into specialized and focused businesses depending on client needs. The idea of a one-size fits all cloud will give way to specialized hosters who focus on different solutions for different markets. Whether its performance, value or compliance, the cloud hosters who focus on satisfying specific client needs will see significantly faster growth than older generation, one size fits all providers.

Finally, the rise of new cloud specific operating systems and tools takes off. Docker, based on Linux containers and the Linux-derivative CoreOS are just two of the new hot tools for cloud-based computing. Expect to hear more about tools that introduce new capabilities or simplify management of large fleets of virtual machines or other cloud-based services. While these tools went mainstream this year, next year should show some great examples of large scale deployments and use-cases where they can really have a large ROI (return on investment) when compared to legacy management and provisioning methods. In addition, new user groups are forming to support development as well as deployment of these technologies into cloud infrastructures; so be sure to ask around if you’re already looking into experimenting or using these technologies in production.

While it’s impossible to ascertain every move in such a fast moving market, these are some predictions that I feel are likely to come true in 2015. We can certainly expect even faster and more rapid change for the year ahead, so hang on to your hats! With the relentless pace of innovation, expect to see some real breakout stars and new names rising in the space. I hope 2015 is a banner year for you, and you are able to capitalize on the opportunities that arise!

About the author

Manoj “Marty” Puranik is founder, president and CEO of Atlantic.Net, a profitable and growing global Hosting Solutions Provider with data centers in Dallas, Texas and Orlando, Florida. Under his leadership, Atlantic.Net was featured in the Florida 100, identifying Atlantic.Net as one of the state’s fastest-growing private companies, for four consecutive years.  Atlantic.Net also made the Inc. 500 list for three consecutive years.   Additionally, Marty has been selected as a finalist for multiple awards including Entrepreneur of the Year and Best Executive for the American Business Awards.. Atlantic.Net acquired 16 Internet companies from 1994-2002, doubling and tripling revenues annually. Marty’s strengths as a leader and visionary have helped him lead a successful business for over 20 years, even surviving the dot.com crisis in 2001. Marty’s strategic acumen and technical prowess; as well as his valuable, old-fashioned habits of thrift, modesty, and discipline has transformed Atlantic.Net into one of the top hosting solutions provider. For more information about the company, please visit www.atlantic.net.