It’s not hard to predict that more enterprises will migrate mainstream workloads to the public cloud in 2020. However, in the coming year cloud providers will be taking a closer look at SaaS in Public Cloud, and cloud security will have an even larger role in cloud strategy decisions. Here is our take on a few of the projections from Forrester’s Predictions 2020: Cloud Computing report.
SaaS solutions migrate to the public cloud
Forrester expects SaaS vendors to move away from proprietary cloud environments to the public cloud in 2020. This makes a lot of sense. In the early days of cloud computing, public cloud environments were seen as riskier, especially for mission-critical applications.
A lot has changed. Public clouds can now offer the privacy and low latencies of private clouds by dedicating resources, and through features like AWS Direct Connect and Azure Express Route. Plus, the leading public cloud providers offer the necessary security features required by even the most highly regulated industries: healthcare, retail, financial services, government, etc.
Of course, while public clouds can be secure and compliant, they must be properly configured. According to a recent report by McAfee, 99% of public cloud misconfigurations go unnoticed. If you’re new to a cloud environment, it’s a good idea to contract with a managed services provider that can provide configuration and maintenance support for your industry.
Cloud security will play a bigger role in 2020
It’s hard to believe that security could get any more important, but the industry is starting to recognize a major issue: while almost every cloud vendor offers security functionality, they address security as an end-to-end strategy. Organizations are left trying to figure out where the gaps are and how to fill them with point solutions.
Forrester suggests that many cloud players will expand their footprint. That’s probably a safe bet, but can cloud vendors acquire tools fast enough to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape? And, once acquired, will these vendors continue to develop these tools as rapidly as the ISVs that developed them did?
We believe the best approach to IT security in 2020 will continue to be an approach that isn’t tied to one particular vendor’s functionality and roadmap. At TierPoint, we’re always keeping an eye on the latest advancements in security technology and approaches so we can configure a solution that addresses the greatest threats to each customer’s workloads.
In a recent interview, Paul Mazzucco, TierPoint’s Chief Security Officer, gave a fascinating, though disconcerting, look at the security threat landscape: The Future of IT Security: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
Read Forrester’s full report: Predictions 2020: Cloud Computing
We predict your future will be cloudy
In the not-hard-to-predict category, we foresee a cloudy future for most organizations. Public clouds will become a viable option for more workloads than ever, but it will still be vital to assess your overall approach to IT infrastructure even as you consider individual workloads. For many organizations, this will require a multi-cloud approach that combines public with private, hosted clouds. It may also involve interconnecting workloads housed in different cloud environments into a hybrid cloud.
For organizations looking for the advantages of a public cloud with a little more hands-on control, private cloud that utilizes Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) can fit the bill.
Not sure what cloud approach is right for you? Reach out to us. One of our cloud advisors would be happy to review your workload requirements and suggest an approach that will help you meet your goals.