Cloud and Satellite: Powering Digital Transformation

June 28, 2024

Analysts project the Asia-Pacific cloud market to soar to US$288 billion by 2024. [1] As cloud adoption skyrockets, even in remote regions, satellite connectivity becomes crucial for reliable global access and network resilience. Rising demand for cloud-centric services like edge computing, 5G, IoT, and big data drives the need for enhanced bandwidth among enterprises.

Unlocking Opportunities for Enterprises

Digital transformation, once perceived merely as tech adoption, is now the beating heart of enterprise strategy, revolutionising operations and customer service to maintain a competitive edge in a hyper-connected world.

Cloud is an important foundational technology behind helping businesses modernise infrastructure and foster innovation. This shift isn’t strategic—it’s imperative. Driven by scalability, flexibility, efficiency, and cost savings, enterprises are racing to adopt cloud solutions.

Cloud marketplaces, run by cloud service providers (CSPs), simplify access to cloud services, offering platforms like SES Cloud Direct for high-value, mission-critical workloads with specific security and performance needs.

CSPs are also looking to expand their addressable market beyond urban areas into regions traditionally unserved or underserved by terrestrial networks. This is when satellite connectivity emerges as a pivotal ally for enterprises to seamlessly access cloud services, enabling smooth data transfer, remote work, and real-time collaboration, overcoming geographic limitations and enhancing disaster recovery and business continuity.

The surge in demand for satellite-based cloud

Satellite-based cloud computing not only addresses bandwidth and low-latency needs where terrestrial infrastructure falls short but also offers secure, private, and accessible cloud services vital for businesses operating in sensitive or regulated industries. This includes enhanced data transfer capabilities and improved communication systems, crucial for enterprises that utilise remote sensing, surveillance, and autonomous systems. [2]

For instance, farmers in remote locations can now access cloud-based applications that use satellite data to enhance precision farming. Today, smart farming is a necessity for adapting to climate change and boosting agricultural productivity. [3]

SES Cloud Direct provides private, dedicated connectivity from SES’s GEO and MEO gateways to top-tier cloud providers, extending secure IP- or Ethernet-based satellite links from any remote location to the cloud, facilitating digital transformation for enterprises and government entities.

Additionally, some CSPs use satellites for seamless data exchange with aircraft and cruise ships, ensuring connectivity in remote areas. [4]

Why satellite is key to digital transformation

Today, enterprises are harnessing satellites for more than remote connectivity and bandwidth. They’re exploring edge computing, 5G, IoT, big data, and more—scaling operations with flexible connectivity where computing occurs. While the cloud is essential for digital transformation, it requires high-performance backing. Satellites fill this need, providing vital support to cloud infrastructure.

As cloud adoption surges in the Asia-Pacific region, CSPs must ensure universal, seamless, and secure connectivity, especially in challenging areas like the Pacific Islands [5]. Satellite networks offer unmatched reach and instant connectivity, vital for modern operations. For example, they simplify cloud processes for broadcasters and media companies, enabling global video content delivery. [6]

Organisations' cloud needs are evolving. SES’s managed network service offers private connectivity from its gateways to CSPs like  Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Oracle, ensuring dedicated links from remote sites to the cloud for smarter, more efficient operations.

As we wrap up this edition, we glimpse into the future of connectivity, where technologies intertwine to redefine our world. With Gartner forecasting cloud computing spending worldwide to exceed US$1 trillion by 2027, and its essential role in business survival by 2028, the future belongs to the cloud, propelled by satellite connectivity to turbocharge adoption.