Enterprise communications forecast calls for the cloud
The IT infrastructure for many companies around the world is getting increasingly cloudy, as more deploy the emerging technology for its abilities to rain down cost saving and increased flexibility and efficiency for adopters. And more cloud cover is forecasted for the future with each new deployment.
OK, enough of the cheesy, overused puns. For the past several years, we've been inundated with news, predictions, success and horror stories and, yes, bad puns when it comes to the cloud. It's the next wave of enterprise IT and will someday replace nearly all forms of on-premise computing. That's what we hear, at least.
Not even enterprise mobility can escape the flood of attention brought on by the storm that is the cloud's popularity. (Now, we're done. Maybe.)
But it is true that the cloud has touched nearly all areas of IT infrastructure since it rose to prominence some three to five years ago. According to ABI Research, the cloud and mobility are linked, and what's good for one will be good for the other.
Specifically, ABI said that 41 percent of all enterprise communications users, which works out to about 386 million people worldwide, will migrate to the cloud. Through either mobile voice over internet protocol or hosted applications, it seems a mobile professional will have his or her head in the cloud.
"Enterprise mobilization is also driving migration to the cloud," practice director Dan Shey said for the research firm. "Cloud applications ease application delivery for businesses that are increasingly relying on access across fixed and mobile endpoints."
Reasons that companies will shift their mobile communications to a hosted model include the need to integrate various apps on multiple platforms and wireless expense management considerations promised by the cloud's cost-saving benefits.
Let's start with the former. Consumerization has led many businesses to abandon the traditional model of one device for a policy that cover multiple devices. Growing popularity of smartphones and innovations for the devices have led many companies to broaden the number of platforms they are willing to support.
The problem, however, is that all employees will need access to the same mobile apps. This may prove difficult if the solutions are premise-based, especially when they are required by users on tablets, desktops, laptops and smartphones. With the cloud, users of all devices can access the same apps from a central location.
Next is cost. What company these days isn't trying to save on IT costs? With the cloud, companies may be able to save on their mobility costs by deploying hosted applications. When delivered online, solutions don't require much in the way of upfront and maintenance resources.
In a recent interview with TMCnet, Sam Liu, the vice president of marketing at Partnerpedia, a provider of enterprise mobile app store solutions, identified the relationship of mobility, applications and the cloud. All three are intertwined, he said.