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OK, I know, Gartner already wrote this in 2008 in their prediction for 2009 and they were right.The skyrocketing continued in 2010 and it seems to be no doubt the rapid growth will continue in 2011 as well.

But let me make a few guesses about the evolution of cloud computing anyway since the path towards the cloud is not always totally straight.

My predictions for the evolution of cloud computing in 2011 are

- Cloud based IT-services will be the number one choice for the majority of start-up companies. 

- Private clouds will be accepted as being an interim solution for organizations with a legacy to consider.

- Several large consultancy companies will struggle hard to adapt to the new IT environment and will face huge challenges.

- Professional customer support and integration of cloud based IT- services will become a bottleneck for several cloud service providers.

- And, based on the recent economic turbulence within several EU-countries, I believe we will see several of those countries focus on cloud based IT solutions in order to cut government spending.

So, maybe 2011 will not only be remembered as the 3^rd,4^th, or 5^th year of cloud computing skyrocketing, but also as the year when Europe finally fully embraced the benefits of cloud computing.  

I wish you all a happy new 2011.

Were you forever being told as a child to ‘get your head out of the clouds’? You may well have just been preparing for your startup…

Cloud computing is a relatively new development. It was seen as crazy a few years ago to set up a business based around this type of computing. The cloud method wasn’t deemed as reliable as other more traditional systems and was brushed aside as a new age gimmick.

There was very little clamour for larger businesses to switch all of their systems over, whilst barely any companies totally embraced the vision behind the cloud. blur Group and Parallels were two who instantly embraced the trend: the majority of businesses were short sighted.

The benefits of cloud computing are clear. Tunning computer programs from remote servers – is a much more cost effective, accessible and efficient way to run your businesses systems and applications. It saves on space, running costs and provides an interchangeable platform in which to work. There are no Windows to Mac issues with the cloud, you can use any computer, anywhere, without hassle.

Imagine packing up a traditional computer system’s servers when moving office. Imagine the maintenance costs of running those servers and the cost of buying them in the first place. These problems are no more; replaced by immense opportunities for new businesses.

According to U.S. venture capital pioneer Alan Patricof, of Greycroft: ”In 40 years in the business, I’ve never seen such a vibrant startup environment. There’s a lot of money around and there’s an enormous increase in startup activity. Cloud computing eliminates capital expenditure so you can go global very quickly. You don’t have to have extensive servers in every country.” As a result, “more firms are downsizing or coming up with a strategy of how to separate private equity, large investments from earlier investments for startups.”

In the same way that social media and crowdsourcing have revolutionised marketing and consumer outreach, cloud computing is now being recognised as the emerging new development for creating a thriving startup. In an age where startups are more careful than ever to maximise expenditure and cut waste, it would now been seen as crazy not to use cloud computing.

Quite a turn around over the last few years. With world-renowned companies like Apple, Microsoft and particularly Google, embracing the cloud, the future of business computing is definitely in the cloud.

If you’re a new startup, you’d better get your head in the clouds. How much of your business model is cloud-based?

This post was first published at http://www.innovatrs.com/blog/.