A new report has unpackaged the elements it thinks a business needs to implement in order to take advantage of the cloud, highlighting the importance of AI, taking on a multi-cloud strategy and using open-source technologies.

Cloud firm Amido said that to have the biggest impact on their business, companies must accept that cloud-native applications will become the new norm and so should be open to the switch from legacy platforms.

They should use cloud-powered mobile apps where possible, build data lakes with the assistance of AI to help with data science projects and adopt a multi-cloud approach – implementing open-source tech where possible, according to the report.

Amido argued that the recent open source push by the largest cloud vendors means that there has never been a better time to adopt more than one cloud vendor, avoiding lock-in and ensuring better uptime as a result.

“What’s fascinating right now is the pace at which open source projects, from the likes of Google and Apache, are being embraced as managed offerings by all the big cloud vendors,” said Simon Evans, CTO of Amido.

“These proven and open technologies are rapidly replacing the pioneering first movers in the cloud; projects like Kubernetes, Apache Kafka and Apache Spark are regularly available “as a service” on the big cloud providers, and this is, without doubt, a good thing for the world. This convergence is the key to avoiding vendor lock-in while still enabling a business to focus on their digital USP. It is the enabler for a multi-cloud strategy.”

Amido’s report revealed that businesses are more readily adopting cloud-native strategies and are fully prepared to leave legacy technologies behind in favour of the rapidly evolving cloud – a standpoint supported by the Cloud Industry Forum.

“[Amido’s] Cloud Futures: 2020 report confirms our recent survey findings that UK businesses are clearly recognising the need for transformation and are gradually leaving legacy technologies behind in favour of next-generation ones to pursue competitive advantage,” said Alex Hilton, CEO of the Cloud Industry Forum.

“Cloud is critical to this shift. Thanks not only to the flexibility of the delivery model, but also the ease with which servers can be provisioned, which reduces financial and business risk. Furthermore, cloud’s ability to explore the value of vast unstructured data sets is next to none, which is essential for AI and IoT.”