Cloud computing 2013: how to navigate without a map

1. Summary

In 2013 IT organizations that support large enterprises will have to figure out how to successfully get mission-critical systems onto public and private cloud computing platforms. Many would love to look to the existing white-belted salesmen from Oracle, IBM, SAP, or other big software providers to help. But there’s a new set of companies like Amazon that they need to consider as well.

The way the industry will use cloud-computing technology in 2013 is not a matter of prediction but more a matter of following the existing adoption patterns and trends into the New Year. Those trends, discussed in this report, include the rise of standards, big data’s role in the cloud, industry-specific clouds, security, and more.