What's ahead for cloud computing in 2015? Check out our report for Forrester's take on the most important trends in cloud computing and what you should do about them. In 2014, cloud entered the formal IT portfolio, and technology managers stopped treating cloud as competition. In 2015, cloud technologies will mature into the driving force powering the most successful companies. Cloud enables unparalleled levels of sustained innovation. Companies that harness its power will win, serve and retain customers better than their competitors — in less time and for less money — if they take advantage of all the cloud has to offer. But where should you start?

Cloud computing isn't limited to a single technology, service, provider, or deployment model. Our cloud team, including James Staten, Lauren Nelson, Liz Herbert, William Martorelli, and Henry Baltazar, has gathered the most important 2015 trends in public cloud platforms, cloud management, application design, security, service provider strategies, SaaS, private and hybrid cloud. In our ten-prediction report, we describe the current state of the art in cloud, what will happen in 2015, and how you should respond. This report helps you focus on the most important trends first.

Forrester clients can read the full predictions report here. For non-clients, a quick look: we're predicting that Microsoft will make more profit from cloud than from on-premise software sales, and that your back-office applications will begin to speak the REST protocol. We're also predicting that containers and Docker will radically accelerate application delivery, a trend I covered in detail in my recent report, "Brief: Why Docker Is All The Rage." These are just a few samples of what we predict in cloud for 2015.

Help your business gain a competitive advantage by staying on top of cloud trends for next year. You can download the full report or contact us. Also, make sure to check out our other 2015 predictions reports. We've made some bold calls about what's ahead and we'd love to hear what you think. Do you think we nailed it? If not, what do you think will drive the cloud conversation in 2015?