text: Major Uptake of Cloud Services in Colombia will Catapult the Market to $196.6 million by 2017, Finds Frost & Sullivan | Containers Expo Blog
  Major Uptake of Cloud Services in Colombia will Catapult the Market to $196.6 million by 2017, Finds Frost & Sullivan
  April 8, 2014 02:54 PM EDT
  -- Hybrid solutions will help ease the transition from legacy to cloud services
  SAO PAULO, April 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As Colombian companies become increasingly familiar with the concept of cloud computing, both current and new service providers will experience significant opportunities in the country. Enterprises are leaning toward cloud computing due to its ability to turn capital expenditure (CAPEX) into operational expenditure (OPEX) and its provision of anywhere-anytime access to information. Additionally, it helps create a flexible environment wherein companies can increase or decrease the infrastructure according to their needs.
  New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Analysis of the Colombian Cloud Computing Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $44.6 million in 2013 and estimates this to reach $196.6 million in 2017. Although infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) will continue to represent more than 90 percent of the cloud computing market in Colombia until 2017, platform as a service (PaaS) is beginning to find a firm foothold in the market.
  While companies see the value in cloud computing, they still have relevant concerns regarding the loss of data security when outsourcing. The lack of local data centers prepared to provide cloud computing is another cause for apprehension, which was further intensified after the revelation of data espionage in the United States.
  "Companies with internal datacenters prefer to keep their core business in-house, but this mindset is expected to change with the Colombian government signing Law 1581, which mandates the establishment of norms for the protection of personal data," said Frost & Sullivan ICT Industry Analyst Guilherme Campos. "Furthermore, the construction of new local data centers will encourage local companies to send their data to the cloud."
  Another important challenge for cloud service providers is the resolution of clients' integration issues. For a clean migratory path, it is vital for cloud providers to be business advisories and help clients shift seamlessly from their legacy systems to the cloud.
  "In this environment, cloud providers should be looking to deliver hybrid cloud offerings," noted Frost & Sullivan ICT Senior Industry Analyst Bruno Tasco. "Numerous enterprise and SMB companies are considering using solutions on the cloud, but most of them still do not have a preferred cloud provider; this translates to abundant opportunities for service providers."
  If you are interested in more information on this study, please send an email to Francesca Valente, Corporate Communications, at [email protected].
  Analysis of the Colombian Cloud Computing Market is part of the IT Services (http://www.ITservices.frost.com) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan's related studies include: Colombia's Total Telecommunications Services Market, Latin American Mobile Enterprise Services Market, Insights into Big Data and Analytics in Brazil. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.