The key trend for 2020/21 will be the joint management of cloud-native and VMs using a common language and skill set.
functions. The growth is driven by telcos pursuing new revenue streams such as video content delivery, vehicular communication for autonomous vehicles, AR/ VR, and gaming.
Drivers for the growth of hyperscale CSP edge include the popularization of video streaming that requires effective CDNs, as well as new services such as cloud gaming, PC-as-a-service, and cloud-delivered AR and VR, where the latency between the end-user inputting commands and the cloud-located server becomes critical. Enterprises were early adopters of edge computing for latency-sensitive workloads like healthcare and industrial applications; on-site data consolidation, data sharing, and analytics; and retail store management. One driver for enterprises moving more servers to the edge is the expansion of smart manufacturing and the use of IoT devices.
PH: Can cloud giants and CSPs work together as ecosystem-enhancers or would they be better in a competitive equation?
RI:
Cloud remains a journey for most organizations and one that is just beginning to accelerate in terms of its breadth of applicability. The challenge for organizations is less technology-related and more process- and peoplerelated; changing the way an organization operates to leverage the cloud is like turning an oil tanker. It has to be slow and requires deliberate actions. At current rates, it will take a decade or more for the bulk of back-office workloads to migrate to the public cloud. Consequently, many enterprises will find their skills stretched as they attempt to monitor, manage, protect, and secure an evolving hybrid IT landscape.
Respondents to Ovum’s Cloud Services Survey 2018 indicate that enterprises are keen to invest in thirdparty managed services to help manage and secure their hybrid IT environments, but providers must be committed to integration and be active partners in the various cloud ecosystems. Enterprises should plan for a multiyear transition to the cloud, which encompasses the multiple stages of hybrid IT and the evolution from manual processes to automated service delivery enabled through cloud technology.
PH: How is the industry changing its contours to these new realities?
RI:
The big news in 2019 was that VMware is now supported in AWS, Microsoft Azure, and GCP as a native platform. The result of this expansion of VMware into the cloud is creating a pseudo open cloud environment where workloads can move between clouds, as long as they are based on the VMware technology stack. Ovum expects to see the expansion of cloud partnerships among telecommunication companies, smaller regional or specialist cloud providers, and the hyper-scale public clouds. These partnerships will be limited, initially, to supporting specific workload types, such as databases on Oracle cloud being accessed from applications running on Azure.
This maturing of the cloud market will provide customers with a greater choice about which clouds to use for which workloads. However, the counter-argument is that these partnerships create complexity and suboptimal use of cloud resources, with a view that optimum efficiency can only be obtained by committing to a single dominant cloud provider. This debate will continue in 2020, but Ovum’s data shows that multi-cloud is gaining in popularity, with average enterprise customers using a minimum of three cloud providers.
PH: Are telcos better with Limited Edge or Aggregator Edge or Full Edge?
RI:
CSPs must recognize that regional differences exist, particularly with respect to data privacy, data sovereignty, and governance. These differences will create the need for more regionally/locally available services. While this will not mean a hyperscale provider-operated facility in every major city in every country, it will mean more than a couple of facilities in a region if local data regulations are to be supported.
PratimaHarigunani somat@cybermedia.co.in
AsanindustryveteranandtheCountryManagerfor SnowflakeIndia, hashistaskclearly cutout.Inaninteractionwith he sharessomeinterestinginsightsandplansashesettles intoacornerroomthatlooksoutatIndiawithanewview ofthemarketandopportunitieshereamidstCOVID-19 crisis.Localdataemphasis,governanceservices, startups,andnewenterpriseelasticity-needsthatcome withgrowth–cantheIndianmarketbeasuniqueasthe companyitself?Excerptsfromtheinterview:
VimalVenkatram ShubhenduParth, Shubhendu Parth: You have been in Snowflake for a very long time. How do you look at the India market from the Country Manager’s perspective?
Vimal Venkatram (VV):
I’ve been in Singapore. I’ve had the unique perspective of seeing not just Singapore, but the entire Southeast Asia market across countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. India is definitely well placed compared to any economy when we think of cloud computing and data analytics, in particular.
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