Cloud economics
Capital expenses vs. operating expenses has been debated rigorously for some time now, and many cite capex reduction as the reason for moving to the cloud. However, whether on the capex side or the opex side of the debate, organizations are still missing the strategic aspect of moving to the cloud. In 2015, the senior management of organizations will move beyond simple, and many times misguided, inaccurate cost-saving calculations, to more holistic and strategic reasons for moving to the cloud. This new approach to cloud computing will involve determining which business operations and applications are appropriate and strategically beneficial for hosting in the cloud environment. Organizations will begin to see more clearly the strategic benefits of cloud such as more time to focus on new business development and  core competencies, as well as increasing competitiveness in the marketplace.
Cloud security
Security has been an impediment to cloud migration and transformation from Day One. As more and more companies subscribe to cloud services, instances of security breaches will continue to increase. No other sector of the business is more prone to the cyber-attacks than the financial sector, which has seen an exponential increase in intensity and frequency of security breaches. The FBI reported that in the past 12 months, nearly 500 million financial records had been stolen by hackers. In 2015, cyber threats will continue to grow as hackers find new ways to break into businesses’ infrastructures. In response to these threats, companies will significantly increase investment in security products to protect corporate and customer data. In 2015, innovative data encryption and key management technology and products will achieve more significance and prominence.
Ken Madison is senior director of product marketing and management at Centri Technology. The 25-year veteran of the high-tech industry leads the company’s marketing and product management functions for next-generation mobile and cloud solutions. In the past, Madison served in senior management capacities at various telecom equipment and systems companies including Huawei Technologies, Agere Systems, Lucent Microelectronics and IBM. Madison holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, a master’s in computer engineering, and a doctorate in business administration.
Editor’s Note: With 2015 now upon us, RCR Wireless News has gathered predictions from leading industry analysts and executives on what they expect to see in the new year.
