Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2015. Read them in this VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed article by Kira Makagon, leads product marketing, product management, engineering and operations, RingCentral
Major Developments in Five Particular Areas Thanks to Cloud Computing
Cloud
computing has emerged from the hype to prove its value to businesses
that deliver and acquire IT services and software. There is no doubt the
cloud has impacted how we access information and business services. As
the hype settles, it's important to understand how the trend, as well as
related cloud technologies, are progressing and what impact the cloud
will have on businesses moving forward.
I
believe the misconceptions about the insecurity and instability of the
cloud will continue to disintegrate as we move in to 2015, and as the
cloud proves its value time and time again. I predict we'll see major
developments in five particular areas in the coming year, thanks to
cloud computing:
1. Work will become person-centric, not device centric. The
cloud gives us access to all applications and data on remote servers in
the cloud. This means we'll no longer be dependent on a specific device
to get work done. I believe we'll become less reliant on computers in
the years to come, and depend more on smartphones and tablets to
complete business tasks.
2. Unified Communications will become unified interactions.
Developments in cloud technology will enable unified communications to
evolve to become unified interaction platforms. This type of platform
will connect voice, text and video function and replicate the inherent,
natural ways humans communicate with one another, versus forcing an
adjustment of communication habits to fit siloed on premise platforms.
3. Greater adoption of virtual meetings.
In 2015 we'll see a wider adoption of virtual meetings, made possible
by cloud-hosted web and video conferencing accessible from any device,
including mobile. Virtual meetings save time and money on travel, and
allow greater adoption of remote workforces by replacing face-to-face
meetings with high quality online meetings.
4. Cloud communication apps will integrate with next-gen business process apps.
Communicating via text, voice and video in the cloud will become so
normal that it must be integrated with existing and emerging cloud
business process apps.
5. Security will become increasingly more important.
Fortune 500 companies will look to cloud service vendors to offer
best-in-class security practices, especially for businesses adapting
BYOD.
The
cloud computing technologies we rely so heavily on today are vastly
different than cloud computing technology of the early 2000's. Driven by
monumental advancements, from virtualization technology to killer apps
to enterprise applications, the cloud has come a long way-and 2015 is
certain to bring about major advancements that will continue to move us
forward.
##
About the Author
As RingCentral's executive vice president of innovation, Kira Makagon
leads product marketing, product management, engineering and operations.
She has more than 20 years of product strategy, global technology
management and senior leadership experience. Prior to joining
RingCentral, Makagon founded and served as the president of Red Aril, a
pioneer in real-time audience and media optimization solutions, which
was acquired by iCrossing, a Hearst company. Prior to that, Makagon
co-founded and held key executive positions in flagship online marketing
and CRM companies, including Octane Software, which was acquired by
E.piphany for $3.2 billion, and Scopus Technology, where she led
multiple generations of CRM products to market.