The "Cloud Ankara 2022" event, organized for the first time this year by ICT Media, was held under the auspices of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority.
The “Cloud Ankara 2022” event, where the importance of cloud computing in the public sector was discussed, brought together sector representatives. Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, who attended the opening of the program, stated that technology has become a competitive tool for some institutions, and businesses lagging behind in technological renewal can turn into a threat in terms of their survival struggle.
Noting that players who could rapidly digitize during the COVID-19 pandemic became even stronger, while those who could not keep up with this change fell behind, Sayan expressed that digitalization and technological transformation are at the top of the agenda for almost every sector.
Pointing out that with the accelerating effect of the pandemic and the increasing need for remote operations, the use of information and communication technologies, especially the internet, has become even more widespread, Sayan said, "In 2019, 4.1 billion people, or 54% of the world's population, used the internet, but according to 2021 figures, this number increased by 782 million, approaching 5 billion, reaching 63% of the world's population."
Deputy Minister Sayan: Global Data Traffic Expected to More Than Triple by 2026
Sayan announced that while nearly three-quarters of all data traffic in 2019 consisted of fixed data traffic, with the increasing number of mobile devices and the rapidly developing Internet of Things concept, mobile broadband data traffic is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years and reach nearly one-third of the total data volume by 2026.
Stating that as data traffic intensifies, the need for data storage and processing areas also increases, Sayan said, "At this point, demand for cloud computing systems continues to rise in terms of both infrastructure and service and platform needs. Today, cloud computing services have become one of the areas considered strategically important for many countries. As a result of the need to store data in the cloud, there has been a significant increase in the number of cloud computing service providers worldwide and the size of the service market."
Deputy Minister Sayan: Cloud Computing Market Expected to Reach $1.3 Trillion by 2025
Expressing that they expect the cloud computing market to reach $1.3 trillion by 2025, Sayan said, "Cloud computing is projected to record a 15% annual compound growth rate until 2030. Indeed, cloud services reached a global value of $484 billion in 2022."
Sayan stated that individuals, companies, and governments need to develop a good strategy by considering potential threats both during the installation phase and in usage processes for cloud computing technology, which carries risks alongside its advantages, and pointed out that security vulnerabilities, inexperienced cloud operators, and insufficient data security awareness bring threats and risks.
Deputy Minister Sayan: Data Produced in Our Country Should Not Be Sent Abroad Unless Technically Necessary
Drawing attention to the importance of maintenance-repair, system design, backup operations, etc., of companies providing cloud services being carried out by expert teams in the field and raising awareness among end users, especially regarding data privacy, Sayan said, "Our Ministry has two important goals: to ensure that data produced in our country is not sent abroad unless technically necessary, and to create attractive conditions to turn our country into a regional data center hub. There are significant investments by both the public and private sectors to increase data centers in Turkey. As our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also said, we tirelessly emphasize on every platform that Turkey's data must stay in Turkey. We will never stop saying this. Protecting data is like our debt to future generations. Because we will reach our future goals only through localization and nationalization. Just as we protect our homeland, we will protect our cyber security and data to preserve our national integrity."
President Karagözoğlu: Cloud Computing Market Projected to Rise to $950 Billion by 2026
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also stated that cloud computing, one of the most important trends in the sector parallel to the development of information technologies, is developing and becoming widespread, saying, "At the core of this development and widespread adoption are technological advancements, progress in software and hardware, diversification of business environments, and advancements in information systems and web services."
Stating that the use of cloud technologies has turned from a preference into a necessity, Karagözoğlu said, "In the upcoming period, these developments are expected to accelerate further, raising the cloud computing market from $445 billion in 2021 to $950 billion levels by 2026."
Stating that broadband infrastructure is an indispensable part of the transformation brought by the widespread adoption of cloud computing technologies, Karagözoğlu noted that in recent years, both worldwide and in Turkey, fixed and mobile internet penetration and traffic have continued to increase.