Cloud outlook : the future of the clouds

![CDATA[Cloud computing’s transformational potential is huge and is yet to be fully embraced. Driven by several converging and complementary factors, it is advancing as an IT service‐delivery model at a staggering pace and is causing a paradigm shift in the way we deliver and use IT services and applications. Cloud computing is also helping to close the digital (information) divide. In order to embrace the cloud successfully and harness its power for traditional and new kinds of applications, we must recognize the features and promises of one or more of the three foundational cloud services – software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). We must also understand and properly address several other aspects such as security, privacy, access management, compliance requirements, availability, and functional continuity in case of cloud failure. Furthermore, adopters need to learn how to architect cloud‐based systems that meet their specific requirements. We may have to use cloud services from more than one service provider, aggregate those services, and integrate them on premises’ legacy systems or applications. To assist cloud users in their transition to the cloud, a broader cloud ecosystem is emerging that aims to offer a spectrum of new cloud support services to augment, complement, or assist the foundational SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS offerings. Examples of such services are security as a service, identity management as a service, and data as a service. Investors, corporations, and startups are eagerly investing in promising cloud computing technologies and services in developed and developing countries. Many startups and established companies continue to enter into the cloud arena offering a variety of cloud products and services, and individuals and businesses around the world are increasingly adopting cloud‐based applications. Governments are promoting cloud adoption, particularly among micro, small, and medium enterprises. Thus, a new larger cloud ecosystem is emerging.]]