Gartner’s identified trends for cloud, data centre, and edge infrastructure in 2023 underline the importance of optimising existing infrastructure, embracing new architectures, adopting cloud principles on-premises, and prioritising sustainability. By staying abreast of these trends and effectively navigating economic and geopolitical challenges, organisations can position themselves for success in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
In the rapidly evolving technological landscape, Gartner has identified four key trends that will shape the future of cloud, data centre, and edge infrastructure in 2023. These trends highlight the importance of optimising existing infrastructure, embracing new application architectures, adopting cloud principles on-premises, and prioritising sustainability.
Optimisation and Refactoring of Cloud Infrastructure:
Gartner emphasises the need for organisations to revisit their cloud infrastructure in 2023. Many companies hastily assembled or poorly architected their cloud infrastructure in the past, resulting in inefficiencies and increased costs. This year presents an opportunity to optimise and refactor existing cloud infrastructure to enhance efficiency, resilience, and cost-effectiveness. The focus should be on eliminating redundancy, overbuilt or unused infrastructure, building business resilience, mitigating supply chain disruptions, and modernising infrastructure.
Embracing New Application Architectures:
As new application architectures emerge, organisations will need to consider alternative infrastructure options. Gartner suggests that non-x86 architectures, such as Advanced RISC Machines (ARM)-based processors, will be in demand for specialised workloads. ARM-based processors are gaining popularity due to their energy-efficient nature, particularly in the mobile device industry. By adopting alternative architectures, organisations can harness energy efficiency and optimise their infrastructure for specific workload requirements.
Adoption of Cloud Principles On-Premises:
Data centre teams will increasingly adopt cloud principles on-premises to deliver more agile and cost-effective services. This approach involves leveraging software-defined data centres (SDDCs) and automation tools to manage workloads across hybrid environments. By embracing a DevOps approach to IT service delivery and utilising analytics tools, organisations can optimise performance and achieve greater agility and cost savings in their on-premises infrastructure.
Focus on Sustainability and Green IT Practices:
In response to growing environmental concerns, infrastructure teams will prioritise sustainability by adopting green IT practices. This entails reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions through various strategies. Organisations can employ renewable energy sources like solar or wind power, implement energy-efficient hardware such as solid-state drives (SSDs), and utilise virtualisation technologies to minimise the number of physical servers required. Gartner highlights that environmental and social changes have become a top priority for investors after profit and revenue, emphasising the significance of sustainable practices.
Impact of Economic and Geopolitical Forces on I&O Teams:
Gartner acknowledges that economic and geopolitical forces will significantly impact infrastructure and operations (I&O) teams in 2023. Economic forces will drive IT spending, compelling organisations to strategically allocate their IT budgets towards essential technologies. Consequently, I&O teams will need to adopt a more strategic approach to IT spending to ensure that investments align with business priorities.
Geopolitical forces, such as trade wars and tariffs, will disrupt supply chains, necessitating agile supply chain management by I&O teams. The ability to quickly adapt to geopolitical changes will be crucial for maintaining the efficiency and continuity of operations.
Paul Budde