The biggest driver behind the Internet of Things (IoT) is the value that can be unlocked through data analytics. When you have hundreds, thousands, or millions of devices capable of reporting on an almost unlimited number of attributes, statuses, or environmental factors, the opportunity for businesses to create optimisations or brand new revenue streams is huge.

For enterprises using both hybrid- and multi-cloud architectures, Software Defined Cloud Interconnects (SDCIs) are increasingly well-recognised as the most advantageous approach to private cloud connectivity. In fact, by 2027 Gartner® predicts 30% of enterprises will employ SDCI services to connect to public cloud service providers. This is a threefold increase from less than 10% in 2022.

It’s well understood that getting data into the cloud costs nothing. Depending on the route you take to engage with a cloud provider, there are dozens of free credits, allowances, and trial offers designed to make it easy to store your data with them. Getting your data out of the cloud is an entirely different matter. And not just when we’re talking about permanent extraction and closing accounts.

In this blog, we look at how cloud storage solutions have evolved in recent years and explore some of the key connectivity considerations as businesses store more data in the cloud. Cloud storage is probably the oldest and most familiar cloud application, best defined as storing data on ‘someone else’s computer’.

Cloud computing offers a scalable, flexible, and adaptable way for your organisation to manage its IT infrastructure. It can reduce your running costs, enhance security, and ensure that your employees have access to the resources and digital tools they need to work effectively. But no single implementation of cloud computing will be identical. Many enterprise cloud approaches will be bespoke and hybrid, combining both public and private cloud solutions with on-premise infrastructure.

Cloud Connect offers a secure, reliable, dedicated connection between your organisation’s IT infrastructure and the cloud computing services it uses. It provides simple, seamless access to the cloud. If your organisation uses cloud applications, Cloud Connect is a technology you should seriously consider. To help you with that, here we explain what Cloud Connect is, how it works, and the benefits it could offer you.

Microsoft Azure maintains second place in the cloud infrastructure services market, with 25% market share as of Q3 2023. Following several consecutive quarters of slowing year-on-year growth, Azure saw an uptick in the second half of last year as the impact of the AI surge became palpable.

Google Cloud, the number three player in the global IaaS and PaaS sectors, secured a market share of 10% towards the end of 2023 with similar commitments to AI that we’re seeing across the cloud provider board. Although growth at Google Cloud hit 24% year-on-year in Q3, according to Canalys, performance was lower than expectations as the cloud provider struggled more than its peers with the delayed impact of enterprise’ IT cost-cutting measures.

Although IT spend, including on cloud services, cooled somewhat in 2023, the second half of the year showed signs of stability, even resilience, buoyed in part by the growing interest in generative AI. For cloud market leader AWS, with 31% global share, the company’s efforts to cut costs and enhance efficiency resulted in substantial profit improvements. Like its peers, AWS also sees great potential in AI and came out with a slew of capabilities towards the end of the year.

In today's hyper-connected world where data reigns supreme, businesses need agile, reliable, and cost-effective ways to seamlessly integrate their digital ecosystems. Understanding this critical need, Console Connect and Digital Realty are taking our collaboration to the next level to bring new levels of connectivity and choice to enterprises, carriers, and service providers.