Cisco makes lofty projections of cloud computing industry through 2015
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 6:29:19 PM
As 2011 comes to a close, analysts in the IT sector are beginning to project the successes and failures of major trending advances in technology, such as cloud computing. Expectations are all but unanimously in agreement that cloud computing and mobile technology will be at the forefront of the burgeoning IT industry, most likely coupled together in many senses.
The cloud computing industry had a monumental year in 2011, as many early predictions of the final numbers continue to increase and new success stories continue to break into the news. A survey from CSOFT, an international language training organization, found 70 percent of respondents who use the cloud intend to expand services soon.
The CSOFT survey also found that 63 percent of cloud users believe the technology has reduced the instance of error. Just under 60 percent of respondents said that data was easier to manage and control after a transition to cloud-based services.
Cisco recently released its first ever Global Cloud Index, which offers projections of the cloud industry from 2010 to 2015, and many media outlets have been buzzing since the reputable source released the report. One of the biggest numbers is the estimation that cloud will have a compound annual growth rate of 66 percent leading into 2015, eWeek reported.
According to Cisco's report, the proportion of workloads to cloud servers is projected to more than double from 2010's 3.5 to 7.8 in 2015. Additionally, Cisco projects cloud data centers to outweigh traditional data centers by 2014, at 51 percent to 49 percent, respectively. In 2015, the gap between the two types of servers is projected to increase to 57 percent cloud and 43 percent traditional.
Cisco estimates cloud data center workloads will have a 48 percent compound annual growth rate between 2010 and 2015, while traditional workloads will have a CAGR of only 8 percent. Finally, the firm expects cloud volumes to account for more than one-third of all data center traffic by 2015.
These projections could potentially go up exponentially, as recurring economic problems and natural disasters continue to impact the business world. The cloud has proven to be an adequate method of improving efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring the overall sustainability and longevity of an enterprise.
According to the Aberdeen Group, 66 percent of respondents to a 2010 survey said they initiated cloud adoption policies for disaster recovery-related reasons.
-McAfee Cloud Security
