2015: Focusing on Cloud Service Governance
In 2015, the conversation around cloud computing appears to have matured to a point where oversight and management became a primary concern. The sole article from this year, "The Evolution of Cloud Service Governance," signals that organizations were not just adopting cloud services, but were deeply engaged in understanding how to effectively manage, secure, and regulate them. This suggests a phase of integration and formalization, moving beyond initial adoption towards establishing best practices for ongoing operations and compliance.
2016: Practical Migration, New Architectures, and Emerging Patterns
The discourse in 2016 expanded significantly, reflecting a period of active cloud adoption and the emergence of new technical paradigms. A key theme was the practical aspect of moving workloads and applications to the cloud, highlighted by titles like "A Guide to Cloud-Enabling Your Software" and "Practical Use of Microservices in Moving Workloads to the Cloud." This year also saw the introduction of cutting-edge architectural concepts such as "Moving to Autonomous and Self-Migrating Containers for Cloud Applications," indicating a drive towards more automated and efficient cloud-native development.
Furthermore, the integration of cloud with other technologies and industries became prominent, as seen in "Software-Defined Networks Meet Cloud Computing" and "The Technical Case for Mixing Cloud Computing and Manufacturing." The increasing complexity of cloud environments was acknowledged through discussions of "Understanding Complex Cloud Patterns" and the identification of "Emerging Hybrid Cloud Patterns," suggesting that multi-cloud and hybrid strategies were gaining traction, necessitating new approaches to design and management.
2017: Advanced Integration, Ecosystem Scrutiny, and Nuanced Views
By 2017, the cloud narrative evolved to include more advanced integrations and a critical re-evaluation of the cloud ecosystem. A significant trend was the exploration of how emerging technologies could leverage cloud infrastructure, exemplified by "Making Sense of AI in Public Clouds." Data integration, a perennial challenge, also received specific attention as cloud became pervasive, with "Cloud Computing Changes Data Integration Forever: What's Needed Right Now."
This period also marked a more mature and sometimes critical view of established cloud components and migration pathways. Titles such as "Cloud-Native Applications and Cloud Migration: The Good, the Bad, and the Points Between" indicate a balanced perspective on the benefits and challenges of cloud adoption. Questions around the relevance of specific services or roles, like "Are Cloud Service Brokers (CSBs) Still Relevant?" and "PaaS Death Watch?", suggest a dynamic market undergoing consolidation and specialization. Additionally, the concept of distributed computing began to extend beyond the core cloud with "Connecting Fog and Cloud Computing," pointing to an expanding edge strategy.
In 2018, the conversation appears to shift from initial migration and architectural paradigms to the operational realities and challenges of managing mature cloud environments. The titles suggest that organizations, particularly large enterprises, were deeply embedded in cloud usage and grappling with the inherent complexities. "Approaching Cloud Computing Performance" indicates a focus on refining cloud deployments for optimal efficiency, moving beyond mere functionality to speed and responsiveness. Complementing this, "Dealing with Cloud-Driven Enterprise Complexity" underscores that while cloud offers agility, its widespread adoption within large organizations introduces significant operational and management challenges that require dedicated strategies. This period reflects a maturation phase where the focus is on perfecting and streamlining cloud operations rather than just implementing them.
