When people think of emerging technology, cloud computing is the first name that comes to mind. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the adoption of cloud computing solutions across the world has sped up.
According to market analysis firm Canalys, the total spending on cloud services grew 33% in 2020 compared to 2019. The growth in expenditure can be attributed to enterprises and organizations jumping on the digital transformation bandwagon. Companies and institutions across the world are realizing the switching their business operations to digital is the only way to remain competitive in the future.
As the cloud computing space is still new, there are several exciting developments that are happening at a rapid pace. Without further ado, here are the latest updates that took place in cloud computing.
1. NASA’s Perseverance Rover Relies On Cloud Computing to Process Data
NASA’s Perseverance is a Mars rover that landed on Mars on February 18th. The primary goal of the mission is to look for past life on the planet.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of Amazon, is involved in processing the data sent from the rover on behalf of NASA. All the engineering data sent back by the rover will be hosted on Amazon’s cloud computing platform.
The cloud computing platform will be responsible for receiving hundreds of pictures daily from the rover. This could lead to a total of thousands of photos over the course of the rover’s entire time on Mars.
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, they are using cloud computing solutions since it is a better way to store, process, and share the high-volume data sent back by Perseverance.
AWS is also delivering a three-dimensional view of the red planet.
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2. Australia’s First Cloud Computing ETF Has Been Listed
BetaShares, which is a leading Australian fund manager, has released a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) which will provide investors exposure to cloud computing stocks.
The BetaShares Cloud Computing ETF (CLDD AU) has been listed on the Australian Securities Exchange since February 24th, 2021. The ETF hopes to capitalize on the strong growth in the global cloud computing segment of financial markets.
The ETF will be using the Indxx Global Cloud Computing Index to track its performance. This index consists of stocks from both the developed and developing world, including India. The index comprised of 36 stocks at the end of January, most of which were from the United States.
The ETF will consider a stock to be a cloud computing stock if the company offers any services or products that rely on cloud computing.
3. Seagate Has Launched a New Cloud-Based Data Storage Platform
Seagate is a global leader in providing data storage solutions across the world. The company has traditionally been involved in developing and marketing pen drives and hard disks.
On February 25th, the company launched its cloud-based data storage platform called Lyve Cloud. This platform aims to help users store, manage, and activate their data. Lyve Cloud provides always-on services and massive storage capacity.
This platform is currently only available in the United States. However, the company plans to introduce the service to other countries in the future.
Lyve cloud offers complete privacy for the data stored on their platform. They are not going to charge any egress fees allowing users to retain complete control over their data. The platform will provide a relatively cheaper solution to store and manage large quantities of data.
4. Cloud Computing Company Digitalocean Announces IPO
DigitalOcean is a leading provider of cloud computing solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises. The company operates several data centers through which it provides cloud software solutions.
On February 26th, the company filed to take itself public. If the IPO is successful, the company will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and will have “DOCN” as its ticker symbol.
The company intends to raise a nominal amount of $100 million, however, that amount will be updated once the price range target is released.
DigitalOcean is the latest entrant in the growing number of cloud computing stocks listed on American stock exchanges. The public sentiment regarding this IPO is decently positive and it is expected to be well-received.
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5. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation Has Added 47 New Members in 2021 so Far
Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) is a non-profit organization involved in innovating in the cloud computing space. The company aims to bring together the best developers, end-users, and merchants to spearhead cloud technology development.
The organization has 47 new members this year so far. The CNCF currently has more than 600 members. It is involved in more than 80 different projects. The organization is a truly global effort and has recorded contributions from almost 1000 different organizations across 177 countries.
Priyanka Sharma, who is the general manager of CNCF, has stated that the organization is fortunate to welcome so many new members, despite the pandemic. They hope to continue drive growth in the sector through innovation.
Some of the new members include Huayun Data Group, Liquid Reply, and ReadySpace.
6. Google Cloud Has Been Empanelled by the Indian Government
Google Cloud has been empanelled as a full-service cloud service provider for the Government of India. The empanelment has come after an audit of the company was conducted by the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
This empanelment will help different entities in India’s public sector to shift their operations to the cloud. The range of institutions include central and state government agencies and public sector companies.
Google Cloud is Google’s cloud computing arm. It is one of the world’s leading cloud computing solutions provider along with Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Google Cloud is used by the biggest Indian companies including Wipro, ICICI Prudential, ClearTrip, and several more.
They are also poised to launch a second Google Cloud Platform region in India which will be in Delhi. The first was inaugurated in Mumbai in 2017.
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Final Thoughts
It’s clear from the developments listed above that cloud computing’s journey into the mainstream has just begun. Innovation in the field is being driven by established technology conglomerates along with new start-ups and non-profit organizations. It will be exciting to see the direction in which this sector goes in the future.
