The cloud industry has undergone many changes and transformations this year. However, it looks like 2016 will be the year things really take off. Greater adoption at both the enterprise and individual consumer levels will drive significant change as we move forward. Let's take a look at what this means and what you can expect in the coming months.

Keep an eye out for these 6 trends

In the last two or three years, the cloud computing industry has grown from a small sub-segment of the market to one of the most promising technological developments of the century. This is what experts believe will happen in 2016.

          1. Big Business Adoption Will Continue

Cloud adoption is no longer a buzzword that startups and progressive small businesses do. It has far surpassed that perception and is now considered a must-have for large companies and Fortune 500 companies. Regardless of industry or size, large companies are going to go big in 2016.

The main benefit here is that cloud technology allows companies to reduce costs and risks at the same time. As we look to the future, those are two things every CEO and CIO wants to do.

         2. Easier transition from physical to cloud

As the industry has grown, it has become easier for companies to transition to the cloud. Naturally, this means that more companies will adopt the cloud (which fuels the first prediction).

Experts believe that 2016 will be the year that simple methods are implemented to bring data from organizations to cloud data ecosystems.

         3. More cloud IT training

As the cloud industry as a whole grows, the need for IT experts who are knowledgeable about these technologies will increase. This means that more and more industry professionals will begin to spend substantial amounts of time. This will lead to a highly-skilled workforce that will allow businesses to do things they never thought possible before.

         4. Cloud security will increase

The beauty of the cloud is that it is simple and secure. And as we transition into 2016, this simplicity and security will only get better. By 2020, Gartner predicts it will be the customer's fault. This means that the technology will be robust and the only way data can be compromised is through lack of understanding on the part of the user.

         5. Major tech companies will fight for customers

On the vendor side, look for larger tech companies getting involved in the cloud industry. Major players like Google, Amazon and Microsoft will continue to fight for market share, while other companies will simultaneously try to enter the cloud industry and undermine their market share. Will a company establish itself as the undisputed leader, or will the market become highly fragmented? That remains to be seen.

         6. Work from anywhere

"environment where support can be provided from anywhere at any time. This will further enhance the flexibility and opportunities for remote employment in many industries.

The future of the cloud

As you can see, the future of the cloud is bright. By 2018 or 2020, the current state of the cloud may be totally unrecognizable. Innovation will continue to happen at a rapid rate and no industry will be left untouched.