Cloud Computing Statistics: Key Figures (2024)

The “cloud.” What was once a buzzword, sounding like science fiction, has become an essential part of our personal and professional daily lives. Even though we understand what the “cloud” does, how it works and how it evolves is much more complex.

Simply put, cloud computing is the use of the Internet to connect to online services hosted in the cloud. These services range from simple cloud storage aux cloud infrastructure platforms, like AWS. Plus, all of your favorite online content is hosted on cloud servers, whether it's a Netflix series, your Spotify playlist, or a YouTube channel.

This list of statistics on cloud computing will give you an idea of its real importance.

Main lessons:

• The “cloud” is an essential online technology that is used around the world.
• Since the COVID-19 crisis, the cloud computing market has seen a rapid upward trajectory in terms of cloud adoption, infrastructure, spending, and development.
• We've compiled a list of 26 of the most interesting, relevant, and revealing cloud computing statistics that demonstrate the magnitude of the phenomenon and its foreseeable evolution.

Of course, it's impossible to predict with 100% accuracy what the future of cloud computing will look like - COVID-19 has shown us that anything can change - but some models regarding cloud technologies and infrastructure have emerged that are worth analyzing. Even if we don't take them into account, current cloud computing statistics say a lot about the state of cloud computing and where it's headed.

Data Storage and Hosting

• By 2025, it is estimated that the volume of data stored in the Cloud will reach 100 zettabytes.
• To give an order of magnitude, one zettabyte equals one billion terabytes.
• At the same time, the total volume of data stored in the world is expected to be 200 zettabytes, which means that around 50% of the data will be stored in the cloud, compared to 25% in 2015.
• Cloud data centers are poised to overtake non-cloud data centers.
• In 2021, they will handle 94% of all workloads, including 75% will be represented by SaaS processes (Software as a Service).

Market leaders

• Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon, has the largest market share in the cloud computing sector, with 31%.
• AWS is followed by Microsoft Azure (20%) and Google Cloud (7%).
• The Citadel, located in Tahoe Reno, Nevada, is the largest data center in the world. It spans over 7.2 million square feet, with its largest building covering 1.3 million square feet.

Popularity of cloud storage services

• Google Drive dominates the market with a massive use of 94.44%. Dropbox follows with 66.2%, then onedrive (39.35%) and iCloud (38.89%).
• Other services like MEGA (5.09%), Box (4.17%), and pCloud (1.39%) are also popular.
• In 2018, Google Drive has surpassed one billion users, and in 2020, the Google Workspace cloud productivity platform reached 2 billion users.
• Dropbox, the second most popular cloud storage service, claims over 700 million users.

Cloud Computing Market Outlook

Cloud computing has redefined the technology landscape, offering scalable and cost-effective solutions for businesses of all sizes.

In this section, we look at some key statistics related to the evolution of the cloud computing market.

• In 2020, the cloud computing market was estimated at $371.4 billion.
• With a compound annual growth rate (TCCA) by 17.5%, the market is expected to reach a value of 832.1 billion dollars in 2025.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the most popular and widely used IaaS cloud service in the world, with a market share of 31%.
• Salesforce, one of the best CRMs on the market, has a market capitalization of over 200 billion dollars.
• Zoom, the video conferencing service, has also taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an estimated market value of over $90 billion in 2020, up from a $20 billion valuation in 2019.

Geographic distribution of the market

• North America dominates the cloud computing market, with 61% of the total market in 2020.
• Followed by Western Europe, with 21% of the market.
• China's spending on cloud infrastructure grew by 66%, from $11.5 billion in 2019 to $19 billion in 2020.

Future of the cloud: video streaming and gaming

• In 2021, the video streaming market was worth 59.14 billion dollars.
• With an average CAGR of 21%, this market is expected to reach $223.98 billion by 2028.
• In 2020, the global cloud gaming market was worth $470 million.
• With a forecasted CAGR of 48.2%, it is expected to reach $7.24 billion by 2027.

Increase in remote work

Increasing dependence on the cloud

• Cloud-based technologies are indispensable for many businesses and remote workers.
• The benefits of the cloud in terms of flexibility, scalability, and costs have made the cloud indispensable in an increasingly digital world.

Employee preference for the cloud

• Around 34% of workers express a preference for remote work using cloud technologies.
• For some workers, returning to the office could encourage them to look for a new job.

Increasing investment in public cloud

Evolution of spending on cloud services

• En 2020, total spending on cloud services reached 270 billion dollars.
• This figure is expected to increase by 23.1% in 2021 to $332.3 billion.
• In 2022, forecasts indicate that this figure will reach 397.5 billion dollars.

Impact of the pandemic on cloud spending

• The pandemic has accelerated cloud adoption and increased spending.
• The pandemic has prompted organizations to turn to cloud solutions to continue operations despite restrictions.

Business trust in the cloud

• Businesses are increasingly relying on the cloud to store their most sensitive data.
• Indeed, 48% of organizations have chosen to store their confidential data on the cloud, whether it is encrypted datas or “normal.”
• The majority of businesses have implemented a multi-cloud strategy, using multiple cloud service providers.
• This guarantees the continuity of operations in the event of a service failure.

Cloud cost management

• Cloud computing challenges include security (83%), expense management (82%), and governance (79%).
• It is estimated that around 30% of the cloud computing budget is wasted.
• For the fifth year in a row, optimizing cloud costs is a priority.
• In 2021, 61% of businesses plan to optimize their cloud costs.

Growth in cloud infrastructure spending

• In the first quarter of 2021, spending on cloud services infrastructure reached $41.8 billion globally, a growth of 35% year-on-year.
• To break this down in financial terms, about $11 billion more was spent compared to the first quarter of 2020 and nearly $2 billion more than the fourth quarter of 2020.

AI: technology on the rise

• Spending on AI is expected to increase in the coming years, from $50.1 billion in 2020 to $110.4 billion in 2024.
• This increase in AI spending is due to the increasing adoption of this technology in different sectors, including healthcare, finance, and industrial automation.

FAQs

Public Cloud vs Private Cloud vs Hybrid Cloud

There are three main types of cloud computing deployment: public cloud, private cloud, and hybrid cloud.

Public clouds are owned and operated by third party service providers and are the most common. These include cloud storage providers like Sync.com and pCloud, as well as major platforms like Microsoft Azure. The benefits of using a public cloud include lower costs, no maintenance, high reliability, and near-unlimited scalability.28

Private clouds are used by a single organization. Therefore, the infrastructure of a private cloud (the physical servers that host the private cloud) is maintained by this organization. They are often used by government agencies and large organizations. Their benefits are greater control and confidentiality, as well as increased flexibility. 28

Hybrid clouds combine the benefits of public and private clouds. With a hybrid cloud solution, you can, for example, only use public cloud resources when you really need them, saving you a lot of money in the meantime.

Are cloud personal computers the future?

What was once considered science fiction may soon become reality. Microsoft has already begun to deploy its Windows 365 service, which offers virtual personal computers running on Windows 10 or 11.

This service gives you access to a Windows computer in the cloud that works just like a physical computer. The virtual machine can be delivered to the device of your choice, which promises to bring a revolution in cloud computing, if everything works as expected.

Summary

We hope you found these cloud computing statistics and trends both interesting and fun. The importance of the cloud cannot be overstated, and cloud technologies of all types and models will only grow and become more essential in the years to come.

How many cloud services and applications do you use?

What is your opinion on cloud computing? Do you think the rapid adoption of the cloud and the expansion of cloud infrastructure is a good thing, or do you foresee problems with the cloud computing market in the near future? Let us know what you think in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading.