16 Business Cloud Storage Trends for the Future

Cloud storage has evolved recently, with new technologies and features emerging. As more companies switch to cloud storage, hardware-based storage is obsolete.

A company can use cloud storage to store its data as a digital locker. It can be accessed remotely from anywhere with an Internet connection, ultimately providing 24/7 data accessibility at a fraction of the cost of running hardware and servers.

Here are some prominent business cloud storage trends demonstrating why this storage option is so popular this year.

Trend #1: Increase of Total Cloud Storage

Cloud storage worldwide will reach 200 zettabytes by 2025. This includes all data for public and private IT infrastructures.

Trend #2: Blockchain to Maintain Data Integrity

Blockchain technology can be useful in cloud storage to ensure data integrity. Industries where privacy is a major concern, such as healthcare and finance, show rising interest in applying blockchain tech to cloud storage.

Trend #3: Only Some Businesses Encrypt All Cloud Data

A recent study analyzing cloud storage security revealed only 11% of businesses that use cloud storage encrypt all their data. Less than a third said they encrypted roughly only half of their data in an external cloud. This is a major security flaw that warrants addressing.

Trend #4: Structural Changes Accompany Cloud Investments

Many businesses are slowing down cloud migrations and reducing their cloud investments. They spend more money than anticipated on the cloud without making the structural changes needed to optimize their return. In the coming years, businesses must commit to structural changes to maximize their cloud storage investment.

Trend #5: Ongoing Migration of Enterprise Data to the Cloud

Many companies are during an ongoing migration of enterprise data to the cloud. They sort through multiple data sources and learn how to optimize data for use. Business data is ready for scalability, has storage cost controls, maintains availability, and more.

Trend #6: Data Privacy and Compliance Is Improving

More users prioritize data privacy and compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. As a result, cloud storage providers are expected to offer enhanced data protection and security.

Trend #7: More Specialized Cloud Storage Features

Cloud storage providers are highly competitive. To differentiate themselves, many diversify their features and offerings. Some of the more popular offerings include high-performance computing, archival storage, and long-term data retention infrastructure.

Trend #8: Multi-Cloud Solutions Are Being Adopted

More businesses adopt multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud strategies to leverage different providers’ services and features. These strategies combine an on-premises infrastructure to optimize performance, cost, and redundancy. A third of all businesses using cloud services do so in a multi-cloud environment.

Trend #9: More Than 9,000 Data Centres Worldwide

More than 9,000 data centres worldwide have servers sharing cloud computing and storage resources. Over half of these data centres are in the United States, and another third are in Europe.

Trend #10: Processing Is Only Becoming Faster

With quantum computing in development, data storage will only become faster with incredible speeds and better security. It can handle huge and vast datasets without any issues.

Trend #11: Only 4% of Businesses Are Private Cloud-Only

Only a few companies operate private clouds. The vast majority use and trust public cloud storage services.

Trend #12: Zero Trust Architecture Means More Monitoring

The rapid growth of zero-trust means more cloud storage administrators employ monitoring and logging to provide real-time visibility into user activity. Detect suspicious behaviour quickly. Initiate and remediate breaches as soon as possible to reduce threat escalation risk.

Trend #13: Integrating with Edge Computing

Edge computing pushes data processing closer to the source, reducing strain on network bandwidth while enhancing privacy and security. It is ideal for applications such as autonomous vehicles and remote monitoring. Cloud storage will also play a role in storing, processing, and analyzing data generated at the edge.

Trend #14: Many Businesses Have Experienced Recent Data Breaches

Approximately 80% of all businesses using cloud services have experienced at least one data breach within the past two years. This highlights the importance of cloud storage security. In most cases, a poor cybersecurity framework causes data breaches.

Trend #15: Small Businesses Are Hesitant to Use Cloud Storage

Over two-thirds of large companies use cloud services, while only a third of small companies heavily invest in cloud storage. A lack of understanding of this technology’s advantages may explain this trend.

Trend #16: AI as a Catalyst for Change

AI may change how cloud storage is done and help organize the data inputted into our systems. AI can help scale the cloud storage tools an organization needs, automating support for those companies as they grow. Presently, 91% of all companies explore AI in some way for data management.