Cloud computing is among the top trending techs expected to transform Nigeria this year.

Its deployment as a network of remote multiple servers hosted on the internet to store, manage and process data is still new in Nigeria. However, as data management continues to influence most industries, more companies are being forced to migrate.

Years back, people and businesses had to run applications or programmes from software downloaded on a physical server. With cloud, the technology enables using shared pool of computing resources for storage and services.

"Cloud is now a mainstream approach in Nigeria and we are increasingly seeing business leaders opt for solutions that allow them to free up resources for creating unique customer experience; drive innovation or reduce ownership costs", said Adebayo Sanni, MD of Oracle Nigeria.

Sanni puts cloud computing ahead of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT).

He believes the technology is evolving for more businesses in Nigeria to adopt based on their requirements.

Michael Olajide, the executive director of Sidmach Technologies shares a similar view in a recent interview with Nigeria Communications Week.

Sidmach launched its Microsoft Cloud platform to be a Microsoft Tier-1 Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) last year.

Olajide notes that cloud is a standard for the enterprise and SMBs in Nigeria for its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

He states: "From Fintech to transportation and manufacturing, most of the industries in Nigeria are migrating to the cloud. This trend will continue in 2018 in Nigeria. The issue of hosting data locally will also be in focus as the Nigerian government will try to enforce the policy."

Nigeria's projected ICT market growth to US$10bn in 2018 puts it in a position to experience a surge in technological innovation.

According to a presentation by Olayinka David-West and Immanuel Umukoro of the Lagos Business School, some of the enablers of cloud services adoption in Nigeria are having the right governance and frameworks, ensuring carrier neutrality and the government data localisation efforts.

Nigeria's cloud computing market is reportedly worth about US$100 million yearly.