2019 was a big year for cloud computing and we will continue to see growth in the market in 2020. In fact, Forrester predicts that the public cloud market will grow to $299.4 billion.

This year, enterprises that have not yet moved to the cloud will need to take a look at their current strategy and make critical decisions as moving to the cloud is now a business imperative. Embracing a cloud native strategy will create new and exciting business opportunities and insights, however, there are also many complexities and obstacles standing in the way of success.

The following are five critical elements needed for long term cloud native transformation success:

1. Enterprise-Grade Scalability

The reality is that few companies are ready for enterprise implementation of open source technologies. Companies must find a way to achieve rapid technology adoption and scale without sacrificing important capabilities that your business needs to be effective. You need a holistic approach ready to implement these new technologies in the enterprise.

2. Flexibility Across Any Infrastructure

Despite the rapid move to the cloud, many organizations still maintain a combination of on-premise and cloud-based infrastructures. It's critical that you are able to leverage new, cloud-based technologies even if you don't want to (or cannot) completely move to the cloud. You will need that seamless foundation across your infrastructure to successfully scale your architecture.

3. Data-Driven Architecture

Most companies today have massive data needs. Whether you are ingesting data from your customers, developing new data-driven applications, or crunching numbers to better understand your business, you need to have the ability to connect and scale applications.

4. Cloud Native Ecosystem Partnerships

Choosing and implementing the right cloud-native technology is critical to the success of your digital transformation initiative. In order to make those decisions, you need to understand how each piece of technology works together and why you should choose one over the other for your business.

5. Training and Management

The success of your initiative depends on your ability to ensure your key stakeholders and technical team members are on board with your new technology selections. You need them to not only understand why the changes were made and how these changes can impact your bottom line but also needs to make sure that your team is properly trained every step of the way.