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There is a lot going on in the multicloud marketplace, but it is still opaque. There are many signs of growth and activity in the main cloud-related segments, choice and quality are growing, but there is also a lot of uncertainty. For practical advice and information on the latest developments and opportunities there is no substitute for meeting face to face with experts, potential partners and prospects, something we are happy to organise here at EvoSwitch.

Eric Boonstra, Managing Director, EvoSwitch

Everyone knows there’s a lot of money in the cloud.  According to Forrester, the public cloud market will reach $191 billion by 2020, up from 2013’s total of $58 billion. Cloud applications, at $133 billion in 2020, are leading this growth; cloud platforms will generate $44 billion in revenue by 2020, and cloud business services will come in at $14 billion. Cloud marketplaces have been described as “the ecosystem of the future,” and this is particularly true for vendor-neutral exchanges like our own OpenCloud exchange. These are key platforms for enabling growth because, like any effective marketplace, they give buyers the greatest possible choice and they also create a highly competitive environment, thereby improving both service levels and price.

 

For the big infrastructure players the race is well underway, and the attractiveness, maturity and accessibility of their branded marketplaces is their key differentiator. So it is no surprise that Google recently spent over $100 million buying Orbitera, developers of a platform to buy and sell cloud-based software. From the SaaS provider’s point of view, the race is on to prepare for indirect sales, restructuring products as open platforms and seeking out new cloud-rich channel partners.  And the service provider community is racing to sell the picks and shovels needed to enable this cloud gold rush.

 

But all of this growth and activity can sometimes seem a bit abstract, and it can be confusing for the end-use at the enterprise. Because it is still early days, there is not a lot of granular data available on sales and sales strategies, and everyone is scrabbling for competitive advantage, which means that they often either overstate their claims or keep their plans to themselves.

 

In such a fast-moving environment, isolation and ignorance can be major problems. That is why we will be hosting EvoSwitch OpenCloud Live on 1 December; a free event that will bring the multicloud marketplace to life.  We feel that we owe it to our customers to bring them together to help them discuss their strategies, exchange views on next steps and, if possible, buy, sell and partner for the future. Whether or not you are already a member of OpenCloud, I hope you can come along.

Eric Boonstra has been Managing Director of EvoSwitch since 2009.  His focus on attracting international customers to EvoSwitch has been helped by his multi-sectoral experience, which includes a degree in Law and senior management roles in Siemens, Staples and ABN Amro.  View full bio

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