$1 Trillion IT spending affected by shift to cloud says Gartner
Cloud-first strategies are the foundation for staying relevant in a fast-paced world, Ed Anderson, Research Vice President at Gartner.

$1 Trillion IT spending affected by shift to cloud says Gartner

More than $1 trillion in IT spending will be directly or indirectly affected by the shift to cloud during the next five years, said Gartner. This will make cloud computing one of the most disruptive forces of IT spending since the early days of the digital age.

“Cloud-first strategies are the foundation for staying relevant in a fast-paced world,” said Ed Anderson, Research Vice President at Gartner. “The market for cloud services has grown to such an extent that it is now a notable percentage of total IT spending, helping to create a new generation of start-ups and “born in the cloud” providers.”

IT spending is steadily shifting from traditional IT offerings to cloud services called cloud shift. The aggregate amount of cloud shift in 2016 is estimated to reach $111 billion, increasing to $216 billion in 2020. Cloud shift rates are determined by comparing IT spending on cloud services with traditional non-cloud services in the same market categories.


 

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(Source: Gartner July 2016)

Cloud Shift Summary by Market Segment

Legacy Segment

Cloud Segment

Total Market Size in 2016

Total Cloud Shift in 2016

Cloud Shift Rate Through 2020

Business Process Outsourcing

BPaaS

$119 billion

$42 billion

43%

Application Software

SaaS

$144 billion

$36 billion

37%

Application Infrastructure Software

PaaS

$177 billion

$11 billion

10%

System Infrastructure

IaaS

$294 billion

$22 billion

17%

BPaaS = business process as a service; IaaS = infrastructure as a service; PaaS = platform as a service; SaaS = software as a service

  • BPaaS = business process as a service
  • IaaS = infrastructure as a service
  • PaaS = platform as a service
  • SaaS = software as a service

In addition to the direct effects of cloud shift, many markets will be affected indirectly. Identifying indirect effects can help IT asset and purchasing managers ensure they are getting the best value out of new expenditure and are protected against risk, as well as assisting them to exploit the new opportunities caused by cloud shift.

For example, instead of buying operating systems for each user in the traditional way, many will be provided as OS images — particularly with the use of containers for next-generation applications. Another example is that enterprise storage needs could be met with a lower up front cost and far more scalability by switching to cloud solutions instead of buying dedicated hardware.

“Cloud shift is not just about cloud. As organisations pursue a new IT architecture and operating philosophy, they become prepared for new opportunities in digital business, including next-generation IT solutions such as the Internet of Things,” said Anderson. “Furthermore, organisations embracing dynamic, cloud-based operating models position themselves better for cost optimisation and increased competitiveness.”

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