As we stand on the brink of a new year, the dynamic landscape of technology continues to evolve, and cloud computing remains at the forefront of this digital revolution. In our pursuit of innovation and efficiency, 2024 promises to be a pivotal year for cloud technology, marked by transformative trends that will reshape the way we harness the power of the cloud.

Join us on a journey into the future as we delve into the 10 key trends that are set to redefine the realm of cloud computing in 2024.

1. Organisations that use Public Cloud at scale require an enterprise-grade cloud operating model. This must combine governance (incl. roles & responsibilities of the Cloud Center of Excellence and traditional IT and Operations teams, onboarding process of new cloud services, etc.) and cloud architecture (governance guardrails implemented through landing-zones, policies, automation, …). Such a Cloud Operating Model also enables product-oriented organisations (self-servicing, build & run).
2. Continued Investments in Data and AI are quickly becoming big drivers for cloud adoption. The rapidly growing need to store, collate and analyse data results in organisations needing to run a vast number of algorithms in parallel on clusters of machines to perform real-time analyses. The convergence of cloud computing and AI/ML technologies is set to revolutionise various industries. Cloud platforms provide the necessary infrastructure and resources to train and deploy AI/ML models at a scale. The increased integration of AI and ML capabilities into cloud services, enable businesses to unlock the power of intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and personalised experiences.
3. The Internet of Things pushes organisations to extend the cloud to the edge. There are more and more connected devices that generate vast amounts of data. Centralising all of this data before processing it comes at a huge cost and often leads to too much latency. We expect increased adoption of edge computing in cloud architectures to support IoT applications and enable faster decision-making capabilities. 
4. Serverless Computing: Simplifying Development and Deployment:  Serverless computing abstracts the underlying infrastructure, allowing developers to focus solely on writing and deploying code without worrying about server management. This trend will continue to gain momentum as more businesses realise the benefits of reduced operational complexity, improved scalability, and cost optimization offered by serverless architectures. 
5. The secret sauce for Cloud is the potential for automation. When done right, automation can increase your delivery team's efficiency, improve the quality of systems and networks, and reduce the risk associated with slow systems or downtime. The challenge is that automation is not easy.
6. Cloud-native Technologies: Empowering Scalability and Resilience. Cloud-native technologies, such as containers, microservices, and Kubernetes orchestration, are gaining traction. To benefit from the full benefits of cloud computing these technologies must be adopted at speed.
7. Cloud-unless is the dominant policy for deploying new applications. For net-new applications and workloads, the public cloud has become the default environment of choice. It has become Cloud unless. 
8. The competition between AWS, Microsoft Azure, and the Google Cloud Platform increases, but can you benefit from this? To have a strong negotiation position, you need options and alternatives. But how do you do this? Does this mean that you need a hybrid or a multi-cloud strategy or should you concentrate all your volume with one provider for a significant period of time?  Are you able to move your application workloads at a reasonable cost or are you forced to accept price fluctuations from your cloud provider? 
9. Will confidential computing be the future of cloud in Europe? Does it solve cloud sovereignty issues and adequately address privacy concerns?
10. Public cloud adoption has become a must in the war for talent. Young professionals joining the workforce today are well acquainted with cloud computing and its advantages and they have an abundance of choice when it comes to choosing their employer. Without an ambitious cloud strategy, you are no longer considered an attractive employer.

As we conclude our exploration into the future of cloud computing, it's evident that the year 2024 holds immense promise for innovation and transformation. The 10 trends we've uncovered are not merely predictions but windows into the rapidly evolving landscape of technology. Embracing these trends will not only empower businesses to stay ahead of the curve but will also redefine the way we connect, collaborate, and create in the digital age.

Let's embrace this journey into the digital frontier, where the synergy of technology and human ingenuity propels us into a new era of possibilities. Here's to a transformative year ahead in the realm of cloud computing!