When we pose the question to ChatGPT or look at a recent survey conducted by Citrix in the UK with 350 IT leaders, the answer is very clear.

Yes, cloud repatriation is indeed a real topic in the realm of cloud computing. It refers to the process of moving data, applications, or other business elements from the cloud back to on-premises infrastructure or another cloud environment.

There are various reasons why organizations might consider repatriating their data or applications from the cloud. These reasons could include concerns about data security, compliance requirements, cost considerations, performance issues, or the need for greater control over their IT infrastructure.

While cloud adoption has been rapidly increasing over the years, there has also been a growing recognition that the cloud is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Certain workloads or applications may be better suited to on-premises environments or alternative cloud providers based on specific organizational needs or changing circumstances.

As such, discussions around cloud repatriation have emerged as organizations evaluate their cloud strategies and determine the most effective and efficient way to manage their IT resources.

 

Public Cloud is a Means, not an Objective.

At Covalens, our team has encountered many situations where customers wanted to move their workloads to public Cloud infrastructure hoping that this would automatically give them access to some of the advantages of public cloud, for example:

• Increased Security and Compliance
• Improved Cost Control and Optimization
• Increased Performance and Scalability
• Access to advanced data management and analytics capabilities (at scale)
• Improved focus on innovation and competitive edge

 

Unfortunately, the business case is often not as simple as a simple ‘lift and shift’ of the existing (traditional) workloads to the public cloud. Cloud migration is a multi-dimensional and a multi-disciplinary challenge that should be addressed with rigor just as any other important IT project with business value objectives.

 

Public Cloud offers Unrivaled Capabilities.

Despite the repatriation reflections and activities currently active in the market, we remain convinced that the public cloud offers unrivalled capabilities compared to “on-premise” or “private cloud” computing alternatives to customers.

The public cloud offers advanced computing and solutions capabilities (at scale!) that cannot be replicated in any local on-premises or private cloud solution.

We notice however, that many traditional workloads, development practices, IT Service management models do not exploit these advanced capabilities, often resulting in a sub-optimal business reality.

 

Public Cloud Migration is a Multi-vector Plan.

In Covalens, we notice however that too many public Cloud driven projects are solely conducted by technical or engineering specialists, often with an infrastructure or platform background, while the values are mainly unlocked when the public cloud migration is approached in a much broader sense, including development practices, application architectures, application rationalization, IT service management practices, financial charging models (show-back, charge-back), etc. …

 

Covalens’ Role in this Endeavor

As many customers face similar challenges, Covalens offers a lever to its customers, with best practices from earlier projects, and its large pool of business technology savvy consultants that operate in a vendor and technology agnostic manner.

Our team of senior and seasoned consultants have a very broad technological view, combined with solid business insights. Our team is pivotal in the alignment and converging activities that must be completed by the different actors within the public cloud migration and adoption endeavor.

We bring business logic and values in line with multidisciplinary technological domains as well as development, IT Service Management, FinOps and Governance practices.

In our endeavors, we are not limited to the conceptual face, but prefer to be included in the project and service delivery phase. Our consultants profoundly reflect but are not shy of acting in the field as well. Offering very valuable feedback on any design flaws that they might have made.

 

Covalens: Connecting Cronos’ vast Expertise Pool.

During our migration consultancy endeavors we are often requested by our customers, to blend in very specific skills required in a part or whole of the migration project.

It is at such moments, that we exploit the power of the Cronos Group, to blend in one or more specific expertise to address potential challenges, related to the multi-vector transformation.

The implication of a next-generation MSP (Managed Service Provider) is quite often also required. Also on this behalf, our Covalens consultants can be at aid to our customers.

We help our customers select such next-generation MSPs. We support if needed the RFP process that comes with it, consulting our customers on new contractual paradigms that should be addressed looking at the use and evolution of the MSP services.

At the same time, Covalens can also rely on Cronos’ different MSP’s, which can be split in mainly 2 groups: vendor specific MSP’s and vendor agnostic/neutral MSP’s.

 

If you want to know more about the role that Covalens and Cronos could play to help you embrace in an adequate way the full potential of Public Cloud, please do not hesitate to get in touch with Steve Dierckens: steve.dierckens@cronos.be, +32-478/38.12.71.