Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2019. Read them in this 11th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Mark Kirstein is the Vice President, Products at BitTitan
Surging cloud-to-cloud migrations with greater focus on governance and multi-cloud strategies
We're looking ahead at 2019's
industry trends for managed service providers (MSPs) and IT pros. Here are a
few predictions on the industry forecast for the new year.
Cloud-to-cloud
migrations will equal or surpass on-premises to cloud
While the largest cloud migration scenarios have
generally been from on-premises systems, 2019 will be the first year we see
cloud-to-cloud migrations keep pace with on-prem-to-cloud projects. There are
several reasons for these migrations. First, the ascension of numerous legitimate cloud vendors gives users more options
when addressing niche requirements and use cases. As organizational cloud
strategies mature, businesses are optimizing their cloud investments by moving
workloads to different environments and establishing a multi-cloud strategy.
Finally, merger-and-acquisition (M&A) activity remains steady, so many
organizations are performing migration projects to integrate or separate
companies. All these factors fuel a rising cloud-to-cloud migration market.
In other terms, the more that businesses adopt the cloud,
the more that M&A activity becomes exclusively focused on cloud-to-cloud
migrations.
Adopters will see
greater focus on optimizing cloud costs and improving governance
For the better part of a decade, businesses asked why
they should try the cloud and how best to migrate their data. Moving forward, the
questions have changed: how can they optimize cloud costs and establish better
practices regarding security and governance? Governance concerns influence cloud
migrations. Constructing a migration plan with security in mind will ensure
data is protected during the migration project. Even though the cloud can
ultimately offer improved costs and security compared to on-premises systems,
new policies and procedures will need to be created now that the organization
is in the cloud.
Multi-cloud &
hybrid-cloud approaches will continue to thrive
Businesses are turning to a multi-cloud approach instead
of relying on a single cloud provider, as this strategy often proves to be a
more effective use of their investment. A multi-cloud approach allows more
flexibility for IT leaders and more room for negotiation with providers. Businesses
can work with the cloud provider that makes the most sense when factoring in
their professional objectives, while also staving off fears of vendor lock-in.
Similarly, a hybrid-cloud approach offers many of the
same benefits as a multi-cloud approach. Instead of doing a complete cloud
migration, a balance of cloud and on-prem services often allows businesses to
mix and match to determine the strategy that allows them to focus most on their
core strengths and services as a company.
Ultimately, the cloud offers businesses the ability to
expand on their strengths to boost growth and optimize their investment. In
2019, more businesses will see cloud migration projects as an opportunity to
set themselves apart. They'll do what they've always done, only better than
they ever have.
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About the Author
Mark Kirstein is the Vice President, Products at
BitTitan, leading product development and product management teams for
the company's two SaaS solutions: MigrationWiz® and MSPComplete®. Prior
to BitTitan, Mark served as the Senior Director of Product Management
for the Mobile Enterprise Software division of Motorola Solutions,
continuing in that capacity following its acquisition by Zebra
Technologies in 2014. Mark has over two decades of experience overseeing
product strategy, development, and go-to-market initiatives.