Cisco Predicts Sixfold Increase in Cloud Traffic by 2016 - Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research
Global data center traffic is set to grow fourfold, hitting 6.6 zettabytes a year by 2016. And cloud traffic, the fastest-growing component of data center traffic, will grow 44 percent annually, or sixfold, in the same time frame. So says Cisco's second annual Global Cloud Index.
"The biggest driver is that the network has become a more cost-effective storage repository. With computing in the old days, the cheapest way to store data was to put it on a local hard drive," said Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst at ZK Research.
"When you look at the price performance of the network, considering broadband, fiber, FiOS and other networking technologies, from a consumer standpoint it's more cost-effective to leverage the network for content. Instead of storing the content locally, you just go to the network and get it when you want it." - Zeus Kerravala, ZK Research - October 25, 2012