The digital age is evolving at a rapid pace and the bar for consumer demand is on the rise. The ability to keep up with all the dramatic shifts is now a crucial business differentiator. Central to staying ahead of the curve is the ability to effectively harness the multi-cloud, which is increasingly fueling unimaginable dimensions of innovation, operational agility and strategic challenge.
Sponsored by F5 Networks and conducted by the Foresight Factory, The Future of Multi-Cloud (FOMC) report is the first of its kind, providing a unique perspective on multi-cloud as it stands today and charting out the future for both businesses and consumers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
Multi-cloud technology is a game-changer and our most powerful conduit for digital transformation yet. It will pave the way for unprecedented innovation, bringing cloud architects, DevOps, NetOps, and SecOps together to pioneer ground-breaking new services that traditional infrastructures simply cannot deliver.
Although challenges exist today related to cost, skills, legal constraints, and legacy infrastructure configurations, the outlook over the next five years is bright.
Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will be fundamental to driving higher levels of automation, rendering existing obstructions to multi-cloud obsolete and unlocking the future potential of cloud computing in all its forms and configurations.
The era of cloud apprehension is almost over. Those still wavering on the side lines risk becoming increasingly irrelevant or even extinct in the coming years.
Multi-cloud is on the horizon
Genuine profit and innovation yielding digital transformation can only happen at pace, with seamless fluidity and security. Complexity and cost are often trumpeted as impediments to a full multi-cloud embrace, but the tide is changing fast. Technological progress continues unchecked and corporate cloud literacy is becoming an operational prerequisite. In five years, upfront cost concerns will be a historic, administrative footnote. If harnessed with intelligence and foresight, the expansive opportunities afforded by the multi-cloud opportunity can only benefit the bottom line and earn customer trust through service excellence.
Bridging the skills gap
We live in a security conscious, app-powered, multi-cloud world and the demand for expertise capable of deciphering advanced technology and adding strategic value is reaching fever pitch. It is time to explode the myth that the skills gap is an intractable problem and that cybersecurity and cloud computing are inaccessible career options. Predictable doomsayers and statistical regurgitations are obvious media staples. We need to highlight the kaleidoscopic potential of youth, promote industry diversity, and deftly discuss how smart, context-driven and automated solutions can spark attractive new career opportunities, as well as free up existing workforces for more strategic and rewarding work.
Implementing a silver security lining
Attack surfaces are expanding at exponential rates. Cybercriminals are no longer tinkering hobbyists but instigators of a new “hacking economy” that can outpace businesses innovation. Organisations need to confront the issue head on without compromising on security and quality of service. The ability to quickly develop and deploy scalable applications and services anywhere, on any platform, is vital to meet customer demand and remain competitive. Implementing a robust, future-proofed ecosystem of integrated security and cloud solutions will help to build end-to- end IT services that give key stakeholders greater context, control, and visibility into the threat landscape. It will also yield the confidence needed to remove the scourge and cost of complexity.
Remaining compliant and preparing for more stringent regulations
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most comprehensive and far-reaching piece of legislation of its kind. Data-centric reliability has now been elevated to the status of corporate kingmakers. However, it is not enough. Within five years we need a global standard for data protection. Without it, there will be chaos. The challenge of regulating a borderless digital multi-cloud world is one of the biggest challenges facing governments worldwide and swift collaborative action is urgently needed. Meanwhile, businesses need to stay compliant with existing legislation, which is made ever more complex by cloud computing’s growing influence.
Reshaping industries with multi-cloud
Within five years, most businesses will need to be multi-cloud savvy for compliance, security, customer service and basic survival. Wavering technological laggards are likely to fall by the wayside. Automation, orchestration, and optimisation is now the mantra for today’s businesses and governments. Expect milestone multi-could moments in the coming years where industries are reshaped. Expect intense challenges from a cyber-security threats, looming skills gaps, and infrastructural deficiencies. Expect unstoppable innovation and change. Expect the Future of Multi-Cloud.
Vincent Lavergne is RVP, Systems Engineering, at F5 Networks
