Cloud Computing: The Next Form of Outsourcing

This IDC study looks at infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and the impact it will have on the Canadian outsourcing market. This study coincides with a number of product announcements, starting with IBM's unveiling of its public IaaS on January 31 ushering in the next form of outsourcing to the Canadian market. Over the next few months, the market will see the release of infrastructure-based cloud offerings from Bell and TELUS, along with continued progression of services from outsourcing heavyweights such as HP. IDC believes IBM's move, along with the expected marketing programs that will accompany such announcements, will help make IaaS one the top stories in Canadian technology in 2011.

According to Mark Schrutt, director of Services and Enterprise Applications, IDC Canada, "We anticipate that in four to five years, cloud will no longer be hype or trendy, but a commonly accepted component of an IT delivery strategy."