Telecom Lead India: Cisco said global data center traffic will grow fourfold and reach 6.6 zettabytes annually by 2016.
Global cloud traffic, the fastest-growing component of data center traffic, will grow sixfold at 44 percent CAGR from 683 exabytes of annual traffic in 2011 to 4.3 zettabytes by 2016.
Majority of data center traffic is not caused by end users but by data centers and cloud-computing workloads used in activities.
During 2011-2016, roughly 76 percent of data center traffic will stay within the data center and will be largely generated by storage, production and development data. 7 percent of data center traffic will be generated between data centers, driven by data replication and software/system updates. The remaining 17 percent of data center traffic will be fueled by end users accessing clouds for Web surfing, emailing and video streaming.
The Middle East and Africa will have the highest cloud traffic growth rate, while the Asia Pacific region will process the most cloud workloads, followed by North America, according to the Cisco Global Cloud Index.
In 2011, North America generated the most cloud traffic (261 exabytes annually); followed by Asia Pacific; (216 exabytes annually); and Western Europe (156 exabytes annually).
By 2016, Asia Pacific will generate the most cloud traffic (1.5 zettabytes annually); followed by North America (1.1 zettabytes annually); and Western Europe (963 exabytes annually).
From 2011 to 2016, Cisco foresees the Middle East and Africa as having the highest cloud traffic growth rate (79 percent CAGR); followed by Latin America (66 percent CAGR); and Central and Eastern Europe (55 percent CAGR).
By 2016, Asia Pacific will have processed the most cloud workloads, followed by North America:
In 2011, North America had the most cloud workloads (8.1 million, or 38 percent of the global cloud workloads); followed by Asia Pacific, which had 6.7 million, or 32 percent of the global workloads in 2011.
By 2016, Asia Pacific will process the most cloud workloads (40.6 million, or 36 percent of the global cloud workloads); followed by North America, which will have 17.4 million, or 26 percent of the global workloads in 2016.
From 2011 to 2016, the Middle East and Africa region is expected to have the highest cloud workload growth rate (73 percent CAGR); followed by Latin America (60 percent CAGR); and Central and Eastern Europe (50 percent CAGR).
In North America, traditional data center workloads will actually decline from 2011 to 2016 (from 18.3 million in 2011 to 17.4 million in 2016), falling to a negative 1 percent CAGR.
Asia Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, North America, and Western Europe can currently support advanced cloud-computing applications over fixed networks; currently, only Western Europe has average network performance to support intermediate cloud-computing applications over mobile networks.
“As cloud traffic continues to proliferate in a new world of many clouds, the Cisco Global Cloud Index provides all cloud computing stakeholders with a very valuable barometer to make strategic, long-term planning decisions,” said Doug Merritt, senior vice president, Corporate Marketing, Cisco.
