Top 10 Trends Transforming the Cloud, According to Forrester

Hyperscalers offering composability and concerns about dependence on megavendors are among the trends molding the future of the cloud.

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In a recent report issued by Forrester, 10 trends stood out as shapers of the cloud's continued evolution as more organizations try to leverage its potential.

A core takeaway from the report was the theme that cloud strategies must be refined with cloud-native adoption being accelerated. Based on the report, even companies that already migrated to the cloud a few years ago could find their earlier implementations have aged to legacy status and now act as technical debt. That is where cloud-native platforms seem to come in, according to Forrester, as vendors offer such resources for modernization.

The top trends in the cloud, according to Forrester:

  • Hyperscalers answer customer demands for platform composability.

  • FinOps pressures ITFM/TBM to adapt and modernize.

  • Platform teams power cloud-native transformation.

  • Geopolitical dynamics create local players and solutions.

  • Cloud redefines the enterprise data center.

  • Kubernetes adoption drives proactive governance, compliance, and resilience.

  • Cloud-scale operations solutions gain momentum.

  • Megavendors own enterprise IT budgets.

  • The battle at the edge heats up.

  • Industry-specific offerings gain traction.

Forrester principal analyst Lee Sustar and US Bank head of architecture Madhu Rao will present a session on cloud-native innovation this week at Forrester's Technology & Innovation North America conference, Sept. 29 and 30 in Austin, Texas, and online. (InformationWeek readers can register with code FORRIW.) Sustar says cloud providers had originally emerged as generalists, offering services that could be mapped closely, save time, create certain efficiencies, and offer scalability. "It still meant people had to work at how to develop new applications, how to build on these infrastructures," he says.

Related:Cloud Computing Sustainability: How Green Is the Cloud?

That let hyperscalers come out with patterns for platforms, Sustar says. This led to an era of platform-as-a-service, he says, and then cloud providers understood their customers wanted finished or semi-finished platforms that included automation and the capacity to tailor that to their needs.

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About the Authors

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth

Senior writer, InformationWeek

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth has spent his career immersed in business and technology journalism. He first covered local industries in New Jersey and later became the New York editor for Xconomy, where he delved into the city's tech startup community. He also freelanced for such outlets as TheStreet, Investopedia and Street Fight. Joao-Pierre earned his bachelor's in English from Rutgers University. 

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