10 Ways Government Clouds Have Changed This Year10 Ways Government Clouds Have Changed This Year

9. Innovation and entrepreneurship will hit overdrive.

Entrepreneurship will go into overdrive, especially as full-featured, "idea-to-revenue" platforms take developers from concept, to development, to deployment and sales. Platforms like NJVC's Cloudcuity AppDeployer and others will facilitate a new wave of innovation, entrepreneurship and disruptive startups that will make things interesting for system integrators. We've already seen an incredible wave of high-tech innovation, and the emergence of flourishing incubators and accelerators. Cloud platforms, for the first time, provide these innovators with all the tools they need to succeed, without requiring a multi-million dollar investment.

Update: Cloud computing is revolutionizing virtually every business model. Drastic reductions in the cost of IT will help the government effectively deal with ever-increasing fiscal pressures. It also will give the government the ability to deliver more valuable services to constituents.

10. Cloud adoption will move from an option to a "must have."

The adoption of cloud computing will move away from something buyers purchase with surplus budget money to a "must have" service that replaces the traditional enterprise IT business model. Until recently, managers have viewed cloud computing as a proof-of-concept project or something that can be done or piloted with extra budget money. The reality is the cloud's value can only be fully realized when traditional and more costly ways of storing, using and securing data are replaced with new business models that take advantage of fast-and-lean cloud services. In the coming year, companies will accomplish this by halting old projects, rethinking old contracts, and shifting funds to affordable and innovative cloud services that can transform the IT enterprise.

Update: Cloud computing is a rapidly expanding, multi-billion-dollar business. Amazon's ability to challenge IBM for a $600 million federal cloud project signals this new era. Smaller and more nimble cloud-based services providers will spur competition and enable agency transformation.

Learn more about the evolution of the cloud by attending the Interop conference track on Cloud Computing and Virtualization in New York from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.