Growing worldwide interest for cloud computing

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Specific confidentiality laws have long been a headache for companies in the European Union trying to switch to cloud computing. The legislature draws strict regulations on the transmission of information, and defines almost anywhere outside of the E.U. as off-limits. Many other countries and political organizations have similar laws limiting cloud service providers, but lately, the growing popularity of cloud computing has caused the market outside of the United States to increase dramatically.

According to Gartner, in 2009, the U.S. share of the worldwide cloud market was 60 percent, which decreased to 58 percent by 2010. However, it is predicted that by 2014 this will have evened out at 50 percent. Worldwide cloud services revenue is projected to peak at 148.8 billion dollars in 2014, as compared to 68.3 billion in 2010.

International conference agencies are also taking note of this surging trend. Forum Europe, for example, is planning an official cloud computing conference scheduled for March of 2012. Their website states their aim to provide a "debate on the current state and the future of Cloud Computing in Europe." Professional dialogue within industry will only encourage further innovation, and it will not be long before a global cloud is formed.