Cloud services face new scrutiny as industry matures

Significance

Its two key attributes -- flexible scale and access from anywhere -- make it a perfect fit for governments, non-profits and commercial firms needing to launch new services, and they accommodate remote working and distance learning.

Impacts

• The pandemic will strain the traditional data-centre economy as uses for self-hosted computing diminish.
• Cloud services will be central to the expansion of digital health services.
• Large cloud providers will maintain their market dominance partly due to their stronger cybersecurity capabilities.