TO THE CLOUD AND BEYOND

With technology moving at an unprecedented pace, the move to the cloud is no longer a matter for debate. But how secure is the cloud and what comes next? Steve Daheb, senior vice president for Oracle Cloud, sheds light on those topics and more in this exclusive interview

- AARTI NAGRAJ

When you mention the word ‘cloud’ these days, people rarely look up at the sky. And for obvious reasons. Cloud computing has become a ubiquitous term – not only for those in the IT/tech industry, but also for governments, corporates (and consumers), who are all embarking on digital transformation journeys.

The numbers add up. The worldwide public cloud services market is forecast to grow 17 per cent in 2020 to total $266.4bn, up from $227.8bn in 2019, according to estimates from tech research firm Gartner. “At this point, cloud adoption is mainstream,” Sid Nag, research vice president at Gartner stated in the report. “The expectations of the outcomes associated with cloud investments, therefore, are also higher. Adoption of next-generation solutions are almost always ‘cloud-enhanced’ solutions, meaning they build on the strengths of a cloud platform to deliver digital business capabilities.”

Regionally as well, cloud adoption is happening on a zealous pace, as businesses look to innovate their operations and seek better returns.

Public cloud spending in the Middle East and Africa region is expected to grow from $2.7bn in 2020 to $5.3bn by 2023, according to IDC. Looking at the UAE alone, spending on the public cloud is anticipated to reach over $827.57m by 2023.

“Changes in economic, political and trading conditions are forcing businesses to move much more quickly, while knowing the margin for error is tiny,” explains Steve Daheb, senior vice president of Oracle Cloud.

“Businesses realise that using cloud can help them drive higher ROI, save costs, find new revenue streams, deliver exceptional customer experience, retain the best talent, and stay ahead of the competition. Most importantly, the cloud provides an unprecedented platform for innovation while also delivering robust security,” he adds. Daheb should know well.