According to Whatech, Latin America’s cloud computing market is poised to grow dramatically within the next several years as more telecommunication companies enter the market, making it possible for businesses to access the infrastructure needed to participate in cloud computing. Analysts are saying that the cloud computing solutions market for Latin America will likely grow at a CAGR of 26% between 2013 to 2018.

What exactly is cloud? For those not familiar, cloud refers to storing and processing data in a remote location, and sharing it over a network (usually the internet). This allows businesses to access data from any location, which not only increases flexibility, but decreases the risks a company takes on when they have hardware in-house (like running out of space and becoming unable to perform at optimum levels).

The growth of cloud computing in the Latin American market is roughly mirroring similar anticipated gains in India and China, which are also areas that are so far largely untapped, with large numbers of potential small businesses and consumers that would be interested in using the technology, if it were available to them.

According to the recently released report, one of the factors driving the increase in cloud usage in Latin America is the “increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions in SMEs.” SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) are looking for more ways to deliver better operational efficiency along with better services, and they are finding that cloud solutions generally are the best way to accomplish this.

Adding to the mix is Embratel Participacoes SA, which invested the equivalent of $50 million in developing a new data center in order to provide cloud hosting services to Latin America. As multinational telecommunication companies like Embratel continue to look for ways to push cloud into the Latin American market, we will likely see cloud technology adaption there continue to mature and develop in ways that more closely resemble how U.S. businesses are currently using cloud as part of their everyday operations. For more, read this link: local.cbeyond.com