Technological change is accelerating at an exponential rate. Whereas it used to take decades for major shifts to occur, today’s big developments often come about in mere months. Read on to discover the IT outsourcing trends in 2012.

1. The Big Switch: Cloud Computing

Companies are gathering, analyzing, and storing more data than ever before. Cloud computing offers a convenient, cost-effective way to manage data, so it’s not wonder that increasing numbers of organizations are switching from costly on-site servers to remote servers. Typically, a firm can experience increased bandwidth with a cloud storage solution – meaning that the “big data” that today’s organizations demand can be more easily accessed.

The switch to cloud storage began in earnest last year, and it will continue through 2012, and indeed the rest of the decade. Information technology consulting firms will be busy building secure cloud-based networks. Forrester Research’s Holger Kisker has forecasted the cloud computing market to grow to $61 billion by year’s end. Kisker also highlights the fact that public cloud expenditures are growing four times faster than other IT spending.

If you contract with an IT outsourcing firm, be sure to ask what benefits you could see from switching to a cloud storage setup. Chances are that joining the cloud computing revolution would offer many advantages for your organization.

2. Tools to Facilitate Remote Teamwork

With access to company data via The Cloud, employees no longer need to access a local server, so they can work anywhere with secure Internet access. The challenge here is to monitor employee productivity remotely. To meet this growing need, IT consulting firms will be on the lookout for remote collaboration and project management tools.

3. Virtualization + Cloud Technology = Lowered Data Storage Expenses

The marriage of two of 2011′s stickiest IT outsourcing buzzwords – virtualization and cloud – will allow companies to further reduce their data storage budgets. Virtualization involves creating multiple virtual servers on the same actual machine. Information technology consulting experts say 2012 will be the year when virtualization and cloud storage will be used concurrently. Organizations will access virtualized servers through the cloud, thereby enjoying low costs and high efficiency.

4. IT Outsourcing Gains Popularity

As cloud technology moves data operations offsite, IT outsourcing will become an increasingly easy and attractive proposition. According to leading IT consulting firms, 2012 will feature growth for outsourcing groups such as Guru, oDesk, and Elance.

5. The Move to Mobile

Information technology consulting guru Maryfran Johnson is the Editor-in-Chief of CIO magazine. Her research with IDC and Gartner predicts that, by 2015, nearly as many tablets will be sold each year as PCs. Our future includes growing numbers of smartphones and tablets, in other words.

To keep up with the demand for these devices, information technology consulting firms will be employed to create mobile software applications. From analytics to file retrieval, companies will soon expect everything to be easily accessed via mobile devices – and software must be created to fulfill that demand. Additionally, groups that provide comprehensive IT outsourcing services will spend plenty of time in 2012 expanding security networks to include mobile devices.

Overall, cloud computing will drive IT outsourcing trends in 2012. Indeed, information technology consulting authorities have named 2012 “The Year of the Cloud.” Cloud technology will alter how organizations store data this year and for decades to come.