Virtualization and Cloud executives share their predictions for 2016.  Read them in this 8th Annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

Contributed by William Sellers, Sr. Innovation Engineer, mcse, cca, vcp, Venyu

Pimping the Cloud in 2016 - A Customized Ride for SMBs

1.      No More Mall Cop Security for SMBs: Privacy, Compliance, and Encryption Tools are moving from Niche Markets into Mainstream.  Encryption options are moving from an expensive, enterprise-only tool, to one that Small to Mid-sized Businesses (SMBs) can now afford. In the past there was cloud backup encryption and SAN-based encryption running on hardware only -- an effective but costly method.  In 2015, we have seen disruptive technologies that are software-based, offered locally and in the cloud. Expelling the hardware anchor lowers the cost and helps put these services in reach of many SMB budgets.  This "software-only" trend will continue through 2016, applying compliance and privacy tools to everything in the cloud.  There are two companies to watch for this trend:  Vormetric and CloudLink (DELL).  It's a SaaS model that will continue to grow because it's not based on the number of disks or how smart we can make the arrays. Simply put: encrypting the VM and the data on the disk and basing it on active directory yields a more in-depth encryption option for any company.

2.      Wrap It Up, I'll Take it! Customer Service and/or Managed Service Providers will be Strong in 2016. This is not necessarily an outsourcing play, but rather an augmentation option for internal, overstressed IT organizations. Propelling this trend through 2016 is the telltale sign that VSANs have hit critical mass.  Say hello to commodity disks and virtualized storage options! In 2016, any storage provider that is not looking at quality-of-service, Big Data, NAS and SAN flexibility--conveniently wrapped in one box-- will be left behind.  EMC is a good example of a company doing this well (i.e., making the leap from a hardware company to a software company). It's not just about racks anymore, it's about the software that makes it all work and more companies in 2016 will adopt virtual SAN and storage. Why is this happening: pound-for-pound, the new converged infrastructure is cheaper and organizations will find they can do more with less.

3.      The Clint Eastwood Vendors (Good, Bad and Ugly): Customers will hold Cloud Providers to a Much Higher Level of Excellence. Let's face it, IT professionals have gotten over the "should I or should I not adopt the cloud?" question. In 2016, the new consideration will be "how fast can I deploy my workloads?" This new consideration moves out of the realm of tech and into customer service, separating the Good, Bad and Ugly vendors. The cloud is quickly becoming a commodity and it does not matter if it's enterprise or IT as a Service, customers will always gravitate towards the high-touch factor of a provider going above and beyond contractual obligations.

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About the Author

As Venyu's resident technology and cloud guru, William Sellers executes the technology innovation and implementation strategies for all things cloud. He holds multiple certifications and is responsible for virtualizing Venyu's first client in 2004.