Why We’re Seeing an Evolution of Cloud Computing with the Focus Away from “The Cloud.”

Don’t look now, but the choice between cloud and on-premises computing is becoming, well, cloudy.? ??Hardware prices are dropping, and recently there has been a push for systems repatriation from public clouds to either existing on premises systems or even purchasing new servers.? While many are confused by this trend, there is an apparent reason that this is occurring now and why we need to pay attention.??

As I have explicitly addressed here , and was an underlying theme of my latest book , ?the choice between cloud and on-premises is more complex than five years ago.?? ?Thus, we see new interest in returning to on-premises systems to take advantage of the price and sometimes the performance benefits.??? Moreover, we understand that we’re leaving hyper scalability and elasticity behind, along with a bunch of cool services that can coexist with our applications and data.?? ?Still, we are willing not to take advantage of those capabilities in seeking to find more value for the business.??? ????

If you’ve not seen this, I urge you to read “The Big Cloud Exit FAQ” by David Hansson .?? ?What struck me about this article was his candidness in relaying facts in the form of an FAQ around why they moved off the cloud and for what reasons and responding to most of the criticism and questions about doing this.?

This is going on in a great many enterprises.? However, few are choosing to blog about it like Hansson has done.? ??Having put out some controversial ideas myself, and having had unfair blowback, no matter if you agree or disagree, you have to consider the value of him doing this.?? ??

This hit home with me, considering that I’m a cloud SME and architect who has also moved some systems off the cloud back to on-premises, but more from on-premises to the cloud.? ?The core reason is the same as Hansson’s.? Seeking more cost-effective platforms to run some applications or house vast amounts of data.? ?

Sometimes, public clouds are the most cost-effective platforms; sometimes, they are not.?? Being an architect is all about picking the right technology solutions that return the most value to the business.?? In some respects, we’ve lost sight of that.

The simple fact is that public cloud platforms are not suitable for some workloads or data sets in that they can live on more cost-effective platforms, such as our servers in your data center.?? This is not a knock-on cloud computing as an industry; it’s just the reality we find ourselves in 2024.? The cloud can be costly and not a good fit for some applications and data types when considering economic viability.? ??Also, hardware, including storage and compute, has gotten a lot cheaper, as Hansson points out, and I also did so in my book.??

Everyone is looking for a single answer, and they don’t exist.? The reality is that the requirements of your systems will dictate what platform it should run on and not whatever seems trendy.? ?The reality is that sometimes the cloud is the correct answer and provides the most value, but not always.? Also, you may have moved some workloads and data sets to the cloud, which should be moved back, considering what those workloads do and the cost advantages you may have to consider.? ????

Also, there is a lot of mythology out there.?? Often, there is a knee-jerk reaction to the cloud because many believe it’s less expensive, more reliable, and more secure.??? You can make that case, and I have made that case.? Indeed, that’s where most of the innovation is occurring now, and those who remain on premises will feel that they are not getting as much love as the cloud and cloud services are.? ?That alone may be why we move to or stay with the cloud, but it should not be the only determining factor.

The reality is much more complex. ??The “it depends” answer that everyone hates from consultants is often correct.? Thus, each platform plan needs some thinking and planning to ensure we’re moving down the most cost-effective path.?? This means looking out for the business first, and many have lost an understanding that this is their mission as IT leaders.?

I would love to get everyone's thoughts on this vital topic.

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