Verizon: Major Apps Move Cloudward In 2014

Expect to see leading brand-name enterprise apps become more cloud-based in 2014 as cloud services do a better job of securely supporting hybrid cloud environments. This will give enterprises more confidence to move more core apps into the cloud, a top Verizon Terremark executive predicts.

John Considine, CTO, Verizon Terremark, says the consumerization of IT is gathering steam and putting greater pressure on IT departments to deliver more functionality and do so at lower cost, thus increasing the attractiveness of pay-as-you-go cloud-based solutions. At the same time, Considine says, cloud service providers such as Verizon are getting better at providing secure cloud connections and easier transitions to cloud services, as well as supporting hybrid cloud environments.

These factors will combine to make 2014 a big year for cloud adoption, Considine says. He is among those telecom execs who have admitted that cloud adoption thus far has been slow, but believes it will still pick up steam, because the underlying trends will continue. (See Enterprises Not Rushing to Embrace Cloud.)

The consumerization of IT, for example, is not new, but it continues to exert an impact as more enterprise employees gain access to sophisticated tools, and expect to be able to use their smartphones and tablets at work. They expect to have the broader access to apps and data that they enjoy as consumers, Considine notes in an interview with Light Reading.

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