The increase in cloud storage and computing year over year indicates a growing trend of customers moving away from managing their own data centers, hardware, and networking equipment. However, while the cloud continues to expand and accounts for a significant portion of IT infrastructure globally, there is a subset of organizations that have chosen to bring storage and computing back in-house.
This shift, known as “cloud repatriation,” involves moving workloads from public cloud infrastructure back to on-premises hardware such as data centers or shared facilities. Reasons for this trend include cost concerns, stability preferences, data protection requirements, and performance optimization opportunities. Some organizations may opt to repatriate only data and storage due to concerns about data sovereignty and security regulations.
Deciding which data to repatriate often depends on compliance and regulatory requirements, as well as performance considerations. Organizations in highly regulated industries may need specific assurances about data location and performance, leading them to bring data back in-house. Performance gains can be achieved by bringing storage closer to data sources for workloads that require high performance and low latency.
While cloud repatriation offers benefits such as increased control and potential cost savings, there are also drawbacks to consider. These include challenges in rapidly scaling infrastructure, capital investment requirements, and potential egress charges for moving data away from cloud providers. Organizations must assess these factors, along with licensing costs and staffing requirements, to determine if repatriation is the right choice for their IT needs.
Overall, cloud repatriation is a strategic decision that requires careful consideration of costs, risks, and technical capabilities. For organizations with the necessary skills and expertise, repatriating cloud workloads can lead to optimized technology architectures and improved cost-effectiveness across both cloud and on-premise platforms.