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The six big cloud trends of 2022 

The research is in! IDC, in partnership with Cloudreach, talked to 610 IT decision makers across North America and Europe to learn their thoughts on a number of cloud modernization topics.

Supported by this research and based on the day-to-day work we do with our customers, we anticipate the following six cloud trends to be newsmakers this year.

Want a comprehensive report of the research findings? Download these infobriefs – North America InfoBrief | Europe InfoBrief – and get your copy of the 2022 Cloud Trends ebook for a deeper dive into each cloud trend.

1. The Cloud Native Enterprise

Business experimentation, large scale IT transformation and cultural change are finally coming together – and we will see breakthroughs in performance levels as more organizations adopt cloud native as a maturity model.

What the research says:

  • Alignment between business and IT/digital strategies is now commonplace, with almost 80% of organizations reporting extensive or partial alignment.
  • 87% of organizations have moved beyond IT-driven cloud adoption to the business experimentation or transformation and innovation stages.

2. Next Generation Migration, Modernization + Management

Cloud migration is still quite a manual effort, but that’s changing. Vast amounts of data and knowledge have been accumulated over the last several years and many new tools and methodologies are emerging to increase automation for cloud migration, modernization and management. 

What the research says:

  • When asked how they would characterize the degree of automation and augmentation supporting employee task, process and decision making, more than two-thirds of respondents indicated that it is still predominantly people led and tech supported.

3. Living on the Edge

We’re seeing a rapid rise of edge computing, which is driving new experiences and functionality to areas the public cloud cannot easily reach. With edge devices becoming more powerful and less costly, and the rollout of next generation application architectures (including 5G networks and AWS Outposts), we anticipate large scale adoption of edge computing.

What the research says:

  • More than 87% of respondents indicate enterprise data and edge computing strategies for 2023, up from only 8.75% in 2022.

Even cows are connected at the edge! Download our ebook to read the use case.

4. Developing DQ

Digital Quotient (DQ) is more than just a measure of an organization’s digital awareness and digital preparedness – it’s an indicator of each leader’s ability to think and operate in a cloud native way. In 2022, we expect to see a greater focus on supporting leadership teams to become highly data and technology literate, including digital preparedness, digital strategy, technology, culture and capabilities.

What the research says:

  • Almost 90% of organizations point to cloud technology as a critical strategy – essential for survival, foundational for innovation – and as a game-changer for the business.

5. The Talent Crisis

There’s a global shortage of cloud talent, in part due to the unprecedented wave of tech adoption caused by the pandemic. Another reason is the lack of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the talent pool. In 2022, we will need to up our game in terms of recruitment, education and services. And it’s time to embrace DEI – we expect to see a big push to recruit people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.  

What the research says:

    • Almost three-quarters of respondents believe their organization has a cloud skills gap – with impacts ranging from slowing down to severely impacting operations – and in some cases causing an existential crisis for the business.
  • Lack of cloud skills is impacting organizations’ ability to meet customer demands, launch products and services, and is causing high turnover and wage inflation.

6. Decarbonize yr Tech

The push for corporate decarbonization is about to get real. When it comes to optimizing consumption, it’s no longer enough to simply manage your financial expenditure – there are wider impacts to consider. While some enterprises have executed very specific sustainability programs, others have not even started. It’s time for organizations to gain control over their carbon footprints. 

What the research says:

    • Over 90% of respondents indicate that a sustainability strategy is already activated or is being operationalized in 2022.
    • 71% of respondents view their organization’s cloud strategy as the biggest driver for sustainability activities.
  • Sustainability efforts continue to grow in importance as an enterprise business strategy in terms of improving social and ecological reputation, improving value proposition to customers and employees and reducing costs.

Get the research and ebook

For a comprehensive report of the research findings, go to our Cloud Trends page for Cloudreach’s interpretation of what’s in store for 2022.