Cloud repatriation, often referred to as “reverse migration,” is an important consideration for any organization utilizing cloud storage. This process entails moving workloads and data from public cloud infrastructure back to on-premise hardware, which could include a privately owned data center, colocation facilities, or shared environments.
Organizations may opt for repatriation for a variety of reasons, including application performance, data security, regulatory compliance, or, increasingly, cost considerations. Each organization should conduct its own cost-benefit analysis to decide whether to continue with cloud services or transition back to on-premise solutions. Additionally, having a detailed plan is essential for ensuring the success of any repatriation initiative.
While there are no strict guidelines for identifying which data sets are best suited for on-premise storage, certain factors can help make this determination. Generally, repatriation is advisable for data that is sensitive, time-sensitive, or costly to maintain in the cloud. Sensitive data may include regulated information or personal customer data, as well as any data subject to geographical restrictions due to data sovereignty regulations. Governments often impose stricter limitations on cloud-stored data, particularly when it relates to national security.
Time-sensitive data is another critical factor; organizations need to access this type of information quickly, such as real-time financial trading feeds. Latency issues can arise in various sectors, including manufacturing and specific areas of research and development, affecting everyday business operations and applications, including AI technologies. If an organization seeks complete control over its data flow, opting for in-house storage and network solutions is often preferred over using cloud services.
Cost considerations also play a significant role. Here, the focus is more on how data is utilized rather than its content. While it might be cost-effective to store archived or backup data in the cloud, this calculation shifts when data is accessed more frequently, as seen in business intelligence applications or AI training models. In such cases, egress fees — charges for retrieving data from cloud storage — can accumulate rapidly.
Tony Lock, a distinguished analyst at Freeform Dynamics, notes, “Data and applications have always moved both ways. Organizations initially migrate to the cloud for specific advantages, but as their needs evolve, they often revert to on-premise solutions.”
### Preparing Private Infrastructure for Cloud Repatriation
For organizations planning to transition data back to their own IT infrastructure, such as data centers or colocation facilities, preparation is essential.
First and foremost, it’s crucial to confirm that there’s sufficient physical storage capacity for the data being migrated. This requires careful planning, especially since many suppliers have extended lead times for new storage arrays or hardware upgrades.
Next, organizations must assess their networking capabilities and physical infrastructure, including rack space, power, and cooling within their data centers. Major repatriation efforts may warrant a reevaluation or reorganization of the existing infrastructure, potentially moving to more efficient equipment that offers higher storage density or lower energy consumption.
Additionally, organizations need to consider their staffing levels to support this migration and ongoing operations. Are there enough personnel available to manage a larger system? Do they possess the necessary security and data privacy skills? Are they equipped to handle mission-critical applications where latency is a concern? These are vital considerations, especially for companies that have downsized their IT teams due to reliance on cloud services.
Organizations that have primarily operated in the cloud era may find themselves lacking in-house expertise. Building an adept team can be just as time-consuming, if not more so, than establishing the required infrastructure, and costs can be easily overlooked when wrapped up in cloud service provider fees.
### Future-Proofing Data and Infrastructure Post-Repatriation
Another important aspect to consider is how to ensure that organizations can reverse course if needed. Chief Information Officers (CIOs) must ensure that moving data and applications back from the cloud does not prevent them from leveraging future benefits associated with cloud-native applications. Essentially, the goal is to avoid becoming permanently locked into an on-premise solution.
An organization’s ability to remain agile in utilizing cloud-native technologies depends largely on its infrastructure. Leveraging Kubernetes and other container-based solutions on-premise can enhance hardware agnosticism and ease the process of transferring applications and data back to the cloud.
Moreover, leading hyperscale cloud providers have made it simpler to migrate data and manage local and cloud storage effectively. However, as Lydia Leong, distinguished vice president analyst at Gartner, points out, portability back to on-premise setups can be challenging. “Many organizations that repatriate tend to treat the cloud as a mere hosting solution to obtain servers at demand,” she notes.
Repatriation can prove even more complex for businesses that rely on software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications to conduct their operations. “In many instances, there are no suitable on-premise alternatives to cloud-based solutions,” Leong explains. Organizations should ensure they have the contractual rights to repatriate data upon making this decision. Moreover, transitioning workloads from SaaS applications back to on-premise systems depends heavily on having the required physical infrastructure and compatible applications in place.
Lastly, CIOs must consider whether they can still utilize the cloud for temporary capacity or bursts in demand. Again, innovations such as cloud-native applications, object storage, and global file systems can contribute to this flexibility. Successful repatriation efforts will maintain pathways to the cloud, allowing organizations to adapt to future operational needs, such as entering new markets where establishing a local data center may not be feasible, thereby justifying continued cloud usage even as a long-term goal remains to bring data back in-house.