Four Emerging Trends in Cloud Computing - Gartner 2021 Says The Importance of Data Is Paramount

 Gartner in its recent study predicts that overall global end-user spending on Public Cloud Services Expected to Exceed $480 Billion Next Year. In a note released in August 2021 it says, that the four new trends in cloud computing are continuing to expand the breadth of cloud offerings and capabilities, accelerating growth across all segments in the public cloud services market, according to Gartner, Inc. The four trends are: cloud ubiquity, regional cloud ecosystems, sustainability and carbon-intelligent cloud, and cloud infrastructure and platform service (CIPS) providers’ automated programmable infrastructure.

Gartner forecasts end-user spending on public cloud services to reach $396 billion in 2021 and grow 21.7% to reach $482 billion in 2022 (see Table 1). Additionally, by 2026, Gartner predicts public cloud spending will exceed 45% of all enterprise IT spending, up from less than 17% in 2021. Scalable database management systems (DBMS) for intensive application workloads and decision support systems specifically descriptive and in-depth analytics will become, the most critical aspect of cloud infrastructure based economy.  The findings did emerge out of the Department of Computer Science, University of California.  The fellow members of the university also assert that  owing success of data management solutions in the prevalent cloud environment, series of solution based research is important.  

Future of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is in its nascent stage today and pose several issues and opportunities in tandem. Cloud computing is expected to generate more than half of the total revenue from cloud related services, Cloudcomputing.org has revealed in its survey.  Also known as utility computing or virtual servers on the web, cloud based services is the talk of the future and will change the way IT has functioned traditionally. Importantly, smooth transition of  applications from traditional traditional enterprise is a challenge indeed. 

Challenges and Possible Solutions Cloud Computing As Security

Amazon's (AWS) has been a pioneer in cloud related services since 2006.  There are some fresh challenges cloud computing security technologists will face. We will also discuss possible solutions to successfully tackle them. Malwares in Mobile: There is a sharp increase in Malaware attacks (a rise of over 70%), especially on Mobile/Cellular computing operating platforms, McAfee reported in ten years ago. We all can assume that cellular technology will comprise a substantial part of technology (cloud). Hence, vendors need to take extra care to tackle the issue. Web 2.0: As previously discussed, cloud vendors, high infrastructure companies and companies are not only facing incident breaches and issues, they are also ill equipped to handle new set of problems and issues the web 2.0 will unleash, while at using it.  Incident Response: Any kind of abnormalities in collecting and assimilating data such as data breaches, suspicious intrusion detection alerts is known as an incident response. As an organisation grows, issues like intrusion detection systems and firewalls too add a substantial problem in cloud computing. Cloud computing security should have quick a mechanism in place to check incident response time aided by an expert team to solve such problems.  

Regional Cloud Ecosystems

Growing geopolitical regulatory fragmentation, protectionism and industry compliance are driving the creation of new regional and vertical cloud ecosystems and data services. Companies in the financial and public sectors are looking to reduce critical lock-in and single points of failure with their cloud providers outside of their country. Regions not able to create or sustain their own platform ecosystems will have no choice but to leverage the platforms created in other regions and resort to legislation and regulation to maintain some level of control and sovereignty. Concerns among politicians, academia and tech providers in these regions are increasing, leading to initiatives such as GAIA-X in European countries.

Sustainability and “Carbon-Intelligent” Cloud

Nearly half of the respondents in the 2021 Gartner CEO Survey believe climate change mitigation will have a significant impact on their business. Cloud providers are responding to this growing focus on sustainability by instituting more aggressive carbon-neutral corporate goals, which creates new challenges for infrastructure and operations (I&O) leaders. “New sustainability requirements will be mandated over the next few years and the choice of cloud services providers may hinge on the provider’s ‘green’ initiatives,” said Cecci. 

CIPS Providers’ Automated Programmable Infrastructure

Gartner expects the broad adoption of fully managed and artificial intelligence (AI)-/machine-learning (ML)-enabled cloud services from hyperscale CIPS providers. This will rapidly eliminate the operational burden of traditional I&O roles in the public cloud. “Infrastructure is becoming programmable, and its operation is subsequently becoming automated,” said Cecci. “Modern IT infrastructure, whether deployed in the data center or consumed in the public cloud, requires less manual intervention and routine administration than its legacy equivalents.” 

Security: We can witness a spurt of equipments and hardware getting more sophisticated every day. Security threats posed by certain malawares and hackers have also increased. Hardware form an inseparable part of the IT security, thus vendors should develop and initiate further R&D processes and create intelligent tamper proof equipments. A decade ago, a report prepared by the McKinsey Global Institute, predicted that the US would need at least need 140,000 to 190,000 additional workers with “deep analytical” expertise plus 1.5 million more data-literate managers. Now Data Science is at the helm and considered as the hottest job of the century. Considering the analysis being made, the time has arrived to not just gear up with the current demand and supply of cloud security professional but also be prepared to novel challenges IT will pose in years to come.

Logo Ka Kaam Hai Kehna - The Job of a Logo is to Talk

 

Every time, they talk about Logos, the most iconic brand which comes to my mind is NIKE - Just Do It. 

So, what did Nike's Swoosh, did to us. According

 to a recent study, in US, more Americans have searched or typed in the keyword - Nike over shoes, on Google, when they have searched for footwear. That's the power of the brand and its logo. It talks. A direct Call to act, - Just f....g DO IT - a strong verb. So, did OTC - oppurtunity to see a brand, everytime a sportsperson has worn a Nike's apparels? The first endorser of Nike was Romanian tennis player, Ilie Năstase, since then, Nike never ceased. The fact is that, Nike happens to be the number 1 brand in the world, that invests in sport sponsorships. Forbes, compiled a list where, out of the top 100, Nike must have endorsed 51 athletes. Historically, there were Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Sebastian Coe, Michael Jordan in 1984, and now Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Wesley Sneijder, Wayne Rooney, Rory McIlroy,  Oscar Pistorius and Landon Donovan. 

The entire Indian team, and our Olympic Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra too, endorses this iconic brand. In fact, Vinesh Phogat landed in a controversy, by sticking to wearing a Nike's singlet, instead of Shiv Naresh. Not sure why. Guess, Nike is aspirational. Frankly, a website or some logo can never be your brand. The brand, needs to be built, step by step, and it might take years to build a brand, that lasts. The experience people get and the perception, they have about a brand, is all that matters. Tangible elements, such as logo or typography or just a colour is merely an expression from a brand, and not necessarily branding. The marriage of text and imagery, is called a logo. 

Believe, me, every minute one website is being launched, probably with a logo. Do you or me really care about any logo? No, definitely No, barring a graphic designer maybe, the reason why a logo is important because that's what people care about. The experience a brand provides to people and what exactly, the brand stands for and advocates. It's merely, maybe an exclamatory or something to that effect.

They say, that the right kind of logo can speak everything, even without saying a word. Like Nike's - Just Do it, since the brand or brands are pure connotation of homegrown honor, unbreakable trust, major pride, peak of excellence and definitely, integrity. 

So, what does a logo does? It talks. Iska kaam hai, kehna, since a single logo can communicate ownership, the quality of the product and the value it speaks.  The right kind of logo can also inspire loyalty and like Nike or TATA, might just instil an eternal love for that bang on design, Like NIKE's. Hence, it's important to choose the logo so carefully, because if you do so, the business might just grow and you will make profits. 

The logo ka kaam hai kehna was put forth by Kalpak Guha - https://www.instagram.com/kalpakguha/

Brand Identity Design– What does it mean to you? Why should You care?

 Like your face, which is unique in every way, unlike a doppelganger, who happens to be your twin, this isn’t the case in brands. It is not only philosophical and emotional, its identity comes with an important visual component sprinkled across various collaterals associated with it, it’s a representation of a LARGER IDEA. 

A collection of elements, which defines the brand identity which a company portrays before its audience is brand identity. Usage of the term brand cannot and should not be used frivolously, branding is an important component before identification of the core brand identity and the designing process, which will eventually shape the perception you are creating before the world, people – generally, like you are in a social gathering, conference, intercultural business meetings at every step, your identity reflects the culture of the organisation. Your brand identity is the mix, which will differentiate you from others in the crowd. The image on the left is of Vodafone's Pacific offline brand identity collatral. I personally liked Vodafone, previously Hutch or Hutchison, and how they have evolved, with Ogilvy and Mather.   

Developing a strong brand identity

There is a difference between ‘brand identity and ‘brand image’ or even for that matter ‘branding’ per sé, although different, they are interloped, as and when. The definition, however a little different when it comes to the corporate brand, meaning, what does the parent company and its name really stand for, and how it is perceived in the market, as well as its positioning itself within the company.  An absolute unified and clear corporate identity is critical. It not only enhances the image of respective individual products, it also helps headhunt and retain employees, but the followers or customers (in digital times) might also come as brand ambassadors or cheerleaders in PR firefighting reputational damage during troubling times. However, this needs to be correctly articulated and communicated by brands. 

Visual Brand Identity Design – the foundation of your brand

Nike’s – Swoosh or its tagline ‘Just Do it’, TATA, RELIANCE, APPLE, McDonald's or IBM’s iconic logo, they are all a part of the visual identity. An internet company like GOOGLE has a strong brand identity with design being a core component. So, what are the ingredients needed for a visual brand identity design, which shapes up your company? Typically, a 5W1H exercise must be undertaken. 

The ‘WHO’ of your brand name might comprise of few vital elements 

 Your overall mission 

 Values

 Brand Personality 

 Positioning as a brand

 Brand voice 

The importance of developing a strong brand identity is by knowing who you are, exactly

By Asking ourself:

 What made you start what you are doing? Why?

 What beliefs do you possess inherently and what values means to you? 

 What are you REALLY good at? Better than others

 What makes you special?

 If your brand could be described in 2 to 3 words, what it would be? 

Creating a brand style guide sets, your brand name apart and an SOP is created on how to manage a brand, online or offline, ATL or BTL, everything.  To take your respective business to the next level you need to get in touch with someone or something, which you feel is a complete solution. Be it Brand design, Typography, Color Palette, Logo, Website, Product Packaging, Business cards, Email design, logo and identity, web and app design, business and advertising, clothing and merchandise, art and illustration, packaging and label, book and magazine, films, advertising, outdoor and everything creative. Brands and brand building is a constant process, which leaves an indelible mark in whatever you do, or want to do. 

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently." 

- Warren Buffett

Sources 

https://hbr.org/2019/12/build-a-culture-to-match-your-brand

https://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus/assets/img/programs/personal-brand-workbook.pdf

https://99designs.com/categories

https://www.lucidpress.com/blog/the-7-key-elements-of-brand-identity-design

Pic source - Virgin

What is in A BRAND Name? Why a Brand Identity?

 They say, naam mein kya rakha hai (what’s there in a name)? Well, Identity is the first thing that everyone needs. “Whether you are an individual or a brand, you need to create your identity first. Creating a powerful brand identity is a significant step towards a great business. There are teams to make all the magic happens, but where is the team, what is the team, can there be a 1 man team or a 1,000 member team? 

So, there needs to be a team to make it all happen. But how?? They say, one shirt doesn't fit all, hence, like people, all brands have a distinct identity, those need to be identified. Basically, it's the creative approach in developing the perfect brand strategies has worked wonders for all the brands.    

Is like asking, ‘Hello What is your name?’ Now, different people would express or say their names differently. The next obvious question would be, generally in form of questions, to P2P ‘Where are you from? Or What do you do? And then, the communication begins, Or NOT, depends on how you have positioned your ‘Identity’. Here YOU are the BRAND and the communication becomes the Brand Identity. 

Marketing guru, Seth Godin had an awesome description of what qualifies to be called a BRAND, he says, "A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer's decision to choose one product or service over another." Exactly branding is more than a logo or a name, it’s much more than that. A brand is also full of emotions, has a distinct visual with specific history associated with it and the touch points throughout its existence and relationship it has built, and most importantly, it is human. The output of the creative will need different channels, to justify the design element needed for branding. 

Now it is time to live up to the brand identity – brand name, logo, tagline, colour, context, fonts, mission, core values et all. 

Post Covid19, however the brand promises to ‘deliver’, hence sticking hard with brand name, it earns, by sheer- ‘work’. Come what may – it doesn’t matter if this disastrous pandemic is affecting businesses everywhere, the idea was still to sail through this covid wave, successfully. Brand Identity is a constant process, however, the DNA of any brand or the basic remains unchanged. 

Source 

https://www.columnfivemedia.com/how-to-create-a-brand-identity

https://www.lucidpress.com/blog/the-7-key-elements-of-brand-identity-design

https://hbr.org/2019/01/what-does-your-corporate-brand-stand-for

https://hbr.org/resources/pdfs/hbr-articles/2018/R1901E_GREYSER_MATRIX.pdf

https://hbr.org/2019/12/build-a-culture-to-match-your-brand

https://hbr.org/2019/12/build-a-culture-to-match-your-brand

https://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus/assets/img/programs/personal-brand-workbook.pdf

https://99designs.com/categories