Report: Mobile Cloud Computing A $5 Billion Opportunity

According to a recent study by ABI Research, a New York-based firm, more than 240 million businesses will use cloud services through mobile devices by 2015. That traction will push mobile cloud computing revenues to $5.2 billion.

In its recent study, "Enterprise Mobile Cloud Computing," ABI Research examined cloud services used by businesses and their application to the mobile supply chain, with emphasis on major enterprise software and telecom suppliers.

"The immediate opportunity lies in leveraging cloud platforms to develop mobile applications, particularly mobile applications that leverage enterprise data," ABI Research Director Dan Shey said in a statement. "Directly and indirectly, Microsoft and Google are major players both influencing and enabling these developments. Mobile operators have the most to gain through offers of cloud services to the enterprise leveraging their networks, application enablement and data centers."

As mobile devices evolve beyond smartphones and laptops to MIDs, netbooks, smartbooks and other devices that connect to high-speed wireless networks, mobile cloud services will also grow, presenting a new avenue for solution providers to offer cloud computing consulting and services.

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"The longer-term opportunity is in mobile devices accessing IT services from the cloud and paying for access on a per-use basis," Shey added. "With the economics of cloud services expanding IT services access to the SMB market, and more cellular connected devices in the market for business customers, enterprise mobile cloud computing services will experience tremendous growth and become more than just 'water vapor.'"

The prediction that mobile cloud computing will foster $5.2 billion in revenue comes after ABI Research forecast last September that the number of mobile cloud subscribers would reach nearly 1 billion in 2014 and represent nearly 19 percent of all mobile subscribers. That's a massive jump from the 42.8 million mobile cloud computing subscribers in 2008.