The cloud: more than just storage

The digital landscape is a battlefield, and businesses need every advantage they can get. In 2024, there’s a clear victor: cloud computing.

Gone are the days of clunky on-premise servers. Cloud solutions offer a robust, scalable, and cost-effective way to manage data, applications, and infrastructure. This shift is reflected in the market itself. A McKinsey analysis of Forbes Global 2000 companies found that cloud adoption could generate $3 trillion in EBITDA value by 2030. This trend is only expected to accelerate, with Gartner predicting a 20.4% spending increase in 2024 to reach a staggering $678.8 billion.

Cloud as the powerhouse for modern businesses

So, what’s driving this mass migration to the cloud? Business user sentiment paints a clear picture as companies are drawn to its ability to:

• Access GenAI: Cloud platforms are the launchpads for cutting-edge technologies like GenAI (Generative Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning. Businesses can leverage these powerful tools for tasks like data analysis, customer service automation, and product development, gaining a significant competitive edge.
• Boost agility and scalability: Businesses can effortlessly scale resources (storage, processing power) up or down in response to demand fluctuations, ensuring they’re always prepared for growth or downturns.
• Strengthen security: Cloud providers invest heavily in advanced security measures, including data encryption, access control, and disaster recovery solutions. This translates to robust data protection and minimised security risks.
• Optimise costs: Cloud solutions offer a pay-as-you-go model, eliminating upfront hardware and software costs. Additionally, businesses can optimise resource allocation, further reducing overhead.
• Enhance collaboration: The cloud fosters seamless collaboration across teams and locations. Employees can access and edit documents in real-time, facilitating efficient project management and improved communication.

The winning combo: cloud, AI, and ML

While there are many factors that draw users and business towards cloud solutions, one of the most significant trends in cloud computing is the integration of GenAI and machine learning (ML). The data speaks for itself. A research by Gartner points to GenAI one of the largest drivers of public cloud end-user spending.

The reasons are pretty clear—the cloud offers a unique advantage as the ideal platform for GenAI and ML applications. Here’s how:

• Unparalleled processing power: Cloud platforms provide access to vast computing resources, ideal for running complex AI and ML algorithms that require significant processing power.
• Scalability on demand: As AI and ML models evolve, their resource requirements can grow. The cloud provides the flexibility to scale compute resources seamlessly, ensuring models can handle increasing workloads.
• Faster innovation: Cloud-based AI and ML tools can automate tedious tasks and generate valuable insights, allowing businesses to innovate faster and stay ahead of the curve.

For businesses, AI-as-a-Service allows access to sophisticated AI tools through cloud platforms, enabling the development and deployment of AI-driven applications without the need for extensive in-house expertise. This accessibility unlocks innovation across various fields including customer service, content creation, and product design.

ML models hosted on cloud platforms also transform how businesses analyse data and make decisions. The ability to process large datasets in real-time and derive actionable insights can enhance operations, agility, and competitiveness. For example, cloud-based AI solutions can be used for real-time fraud detection in finance and personalised user experiences in e-commerce​.

Making the shift, before it’s too late

Market trends, user sentiment, and the inherent features of cloud solutions paint a compelling picture—the cloud is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s a strategic necessity. This is especially true for businesses that still run their workloads on legacy virtualised environments that just can’t keep up with business demands of today. It’s time to guide your customers through this transition as they seek support in migration services, ongoing cloud management, and consultation.

Our Westcon AWS Virtualisation Starter Kit provides you and your customers the right resources and support to experience the benefits of AWS technology through small-scale projects. This proof-of-concept environment is an ideal starting point for those still reliant on on-premises virtualised environments.

Don’t miss this opportunity to become your customers’ cloud migration hero—let’s talk.