IDC releases cloud boom predictions

Demand for public cloud services is expected to boom over the next four years, with the market growing from $21.5 billion 2010 to $72.9 billion by 2015.

So claims a report by analyst firm IDC, which suggests that cloud services represent a strategic growth area for virtually all IT vendors. Indeed, the research claims this growth is more than four times the rate of the global IT market.

"Cloud services are interconnected with and accelerated by other disruptive technologies, including mobile devices, wireless networks, big data analytics, and social networking," said Frank Gens, senior vice president and chief analyst at IDC.

"Together, these technologies are merging into the industry's third major platform for long-term growth," he added.

By 2015 software as a service (SaaS) will account for 75 per cent of

spendingon public cloud IT, according to IDC.

"Cloud services are a critical component in a much larger transformation that IDC expects will drive IT industry growth for the next 25 years," the report claimed.

IDC said private cloud was currently ahead of public cloud technology in terms of functionality and interest from IT departments, but added that it expected public cloud to "mature" to the same level.

"The winners of the cloud platform wars will likely be the new power brokers of the IT industry," IDC's report concluded.