Foreword: the transformative power of cloud
At GlobalData, we define a theme as any issue that keeps a business leader awake at night. Companies are impacted by multiple themes that frequently conflict with one another. What is needed is an effective methodology that reflects, understands and reconciles these conflicts.
Our thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors. Viewing the world’s data by themes makes it easier to make critical decisions. Companies that invest in the right themes become success stories. Those that miss the essential themes in their industry end up as failures.
Cloud computing is a significant technology theme that has grown in importance in recent years. The cloud is now the dominant model for delivering and maintaining enterprise IT resources, including hardware, software and platforms for application developers.
Cloud computing provides users with an approach to consuming IT that is significantly more flexible, resource-efficient and cost-effective than traditional IT. Cloud-based IT resources can be delivered privately, for use by one or a specific group of enterprises, or publicly, where IT resources are accessed according to multi-tenancy principles. Hybrid cloud environments, which combine public and private clouds, are increasingly popular among enterprises that want to enjoy the benefits of both.
The widespread move to home-working necessitated by Covid-19 would have brought businesses to a grinding halt had investments in cloud not been made over the last the years. That investment now has the potential to transform the way some companies operate.
