
Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2014. Read them in this VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed article by Pat O’Day, CTO, Bluelock
5 Predictions for 2014
1. Consolidation
and Recalibration: As
the cloud market matures there will be some churn in the space, but mostly
through consolidation and recalibration.
While some smaller companies may fall away or run out of fuel, larger
companies are recalibrating their objectives. They may be spinning off new
business units or recalibrating through acquisition..
i.
In
2014 the market will make some case uses obsolete by identifying who the
leaders are and who is being successful in terms of pricing and services.
2. The
need for a Marquee customer:
While Amazon continues to tout Netflix as their prime success story, in 2014 I
imagine a vCloud provider will tackle the same feat and work to declare a similar
marquee customer or application in order to stay relevant and competitive.
3. Value-add
resellers (VARs) will find an answer for cloud: In order to keep their trusted advisor
status with their customers, VARs will need to be able to offer a cloud
solution. Some will refocus on their core strengths and find a cloud to resell,
while others will find a cloud partner who complements what they are already
doing well.
4. Increase
in company partnerships:
More companies will look to find partner companies who are willing to combine
products to solve real business problems. These new capabilities, created by
mashing two companies and their products together, will help both get closer to
the business. Bluelock is already doing this by partnering with tw telecom on a
dynamic Recovery-as-a-Service solution that includes a dynamic networking
component.
5. Increase
in DR and RaaS: In the
past DR was a luxury for many businesses relying on a single datacenter. The investment
required for a second site combined with the costs for traditional DR were just
too great to take on economically. As Recovery-as-a-Service continues to evolve
as an affordable, dependable recovery solution for single datacenter
businesses, DR will no longer be a luxury for those businesses, but rather, the
new normal.
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About the Author
Bluelock's
Chief Technology Officer, Pat O'Day helps position the company and its strategy
in the ever-evolving Infrastructure-as-a-Service space. He collaborates with
partners, clients and engineering to maintain Bluelock's innovative position as
a customer-focused, holistic cloud provider. O'Day's leadership experience
includes roles in enterprise IT, traditional datacenter and IT service
organizations.