The Information Technology sector is reportedly poised for growth and corporate budgets look set for a massive increase if technology trends continue as they are. With the recent emergence of "cloud services," companies will no doubt benefit from the cut in traditional IT costs.
According to Altaf Alimohamed, Managing Director of UAE-based Media Solutions, cloud services are set to grow four times faster than traditional IT services. “Early indications are that corporate IT budgets will increase substantially year-on-year as businesses worldwide embrace the attributes of Cloud Computing,” he said.
Alimohamed suggested that investment by corporations in cloud-based services is set to top US$72 billion in 2015, as demand grows as much as 27% per annum over the next two years – up from $21.5 billion in 2010. Meanwhile, the IT services and solutions sector as a whole is predicted to grow at just 6.7% per annum.
“The uptake of cloud-based IT services looks set to grow four times faster than the traditional IT market. This is no surprise as cloud-based services offer lower operating costs meaning that organisations of all shapes and sizes can swiftly slash the cost-per-user, as well as become more efficient at information sharing and such like.”
One such cloud-based solution is Soonr, a state-of-the-art file sharing application designed to enable seamless real-time team collaboration, locally or remotely.
“New-to-market applications like Soonr mean organisations can put an end to building, running, maintaining and constantly upgrading server-based IT services by hopping onto the Cloud which offers a seamless, holistic solution,” said Alimohamed, explaining that Soonr gives constant Internet access from over 800+ devices including iPhone, Android, Blackberry, across Macs and PCs, as well as ensuring that all information is backed up.
“Soonr not only offers application, file sharing and collaboration services, it also provides a back-up service built into the same application ensuring that all company data is protected,” he added.
Alimohamed cautioned that an average hard drive fails every 0.2 seconds and confirmed that the Soonr application easily restores data should a device be misplaced or put at risk during a system failure.
Turning to individual use across the region, Alimohamed said that many markets are showing a healthy appetite for mobile use of the Internet. Citing region-wide figures from TNA MENA, the world’s largest custom market research organization, he said that Internet usage has grown from 7.8 million users to 187 million in the last decade.
“Although users might not yet realise it, many online activities take place on the Cloud meaning they are fast becoming cloud-savvy and thus ready to help influence the transition of the companies they work for,” concluded Alimohamed.
– Media Solutions
Media Solutions is a privately-held company based in Dubai, UAE. The company provides varying aspects of Information Technology services and products to businesses throughout the United Arab Emirates.
Image: Ante Vekic
