What is Cloud Repatriation?: Rethinking Your Data Strategy with Covenco

The public cloud revolutionised the way businesses operate. The promise of on-demand scalability, agility, and cost-efficiency ushered in a new digital transformation era. Yet, the reality hasn’t quite measured up to the initial hype for many organisations. Unforeseen costs, lingering security concerns, and performance inconsistencies are leading a growing number of businesses to explore cloud repatriation – the strategic move of bringing workloads and data back on-premises or into a hybrid model.

At Covenco, we understand the complexities of navigating the ever-evolving IT landscape. We champion a holistic approach to infrastructure, recognising that the public cloud isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Business owners are demanding new ways to critically evaluate the impact of cloud repatriation and determine if it’s the right move for their organisation. We are helping our customers explore factors that influence the rise of repatriation, while demonstrating how we can help them throughout the process.

What is Cloud Repatriation?

Cloud repatriation is when a company moves its data, apps and services from public clouds to an on-premise, private cloud setup. An organisation may do this in order to cut costs, better protect its data, or in response to changing business needs.

Why Businesses are Reassessing their Cloud Data Storage

Public Cloud undeniably offers advantages. Scalability allows businesses to adjust resources effortlessly to meet fluctuating demands. Agility facilitates rapid deployment and updates of applications. Reduced IT overhead eliminates the burden of managing physical infrastructure. However, these benefits often come with hidden costs and limitations that can significantly impact your bottom line and overall business strategy.

One of the biggest challenges associated with public cloud is the opacity of true costs. Advertised “low costs” can quickly balloon due to hidden fees and complex billing structures. Egress charges for data transfer out of the cloud can be particularly surprising, and managing these costs requires constant vigilance. Additionally, as your cloud usage grows, so do your expenses, making it difficult to predict and control long-term budgetary implications.

Security concerns are another significant consideration. While cloud providers offer robust security features, entrusting your critical data to a third party carries inherent risk. Compliance regulations in certain industries and locations may also become more challenging to meet in a cloud environment. Data breaches across public cloud can be devastating financially and in terms of reputational damage.

Performance can also be a concern. Applications designed for on-premises deployment may not perform optimally in the cloud due to latency and network congestion. These factors can negatively impact user experience and hinder business productivity.

 Furthermore, reliance on a third-party provider introduces another layer of potential disruption. Outages or service interruptions and unexpected downtime within the cloud provider’s infrastructure can significantly impact your operations.

Why Businesses are Opting for Public Cloud Repatriation

The limitations of the public cloud are prompting many organisations to re-evaluate their cloud strategies. Cloud repatriation – the strategic move of bringing workloads and data back on-premises or into a hybrid model – is gaining traction for several compelling reasons:

Cost Optimisation

Repatriation empowers you to gain control over cloud spending and eliminate hidden fees. By bringing workloads back on-premises, you can potentially achieve greater cost predictability and avoid the ever-expanding costs associated with public cloud usage.

Enhanced Security & Compliance

Repatriation allows you to maintain direct oversight of your data and enforce stricter security protocols. This can be particularly crucial for businesses in highly regulated industries where data privacy and compliance are paramount. Having your data housed within your own controlled environment can provide greater peace of mind and mitigate the risks associated with third-party breaches.

Improved Performance

Certain applications simply perform better in a dedicated on-premises environment. Repatriation can ensure optimal application performance by eliminating latency and network congestion issues inherent to the public cloud.

Reduced Reliance on Third-Party Providers

Repatriation mitigates the risk of vendor lock-in and service disruptions. By bringing your data back on-premises, you regain control of your IT infrastructure and become less reliant on the whims of external cloud providers.

Enhanced Security & Compliance in the Age of AI

While the public cloud offers robust security features, the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within these cloud environments introduces a new layer of complexity. AI relies on vast amounts of data to train and function effectively.

 While cloud providers implement access controls, anonymisation techniques, and other measures to protect data privacy, the sheer volume of data and the potential for unintended data access through AI algorithms can pose significant security and compliance challenges.

For instance, AI algorithms used for data analysis within the cloud may inadvertently uncover sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) that was originally anonymised. This can lead to breaches of regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which mandates strict controls over the collection, storage, and use of personal data.

Repatriation can enhance security and compliance in the following three ways:

1. Regaining Direct Oversight

Repatriating your data to an on-premises environment allows you to regain direct oversight of your data infrastructure. This enables you to implement more granular security controls and audit trails, minimising the risk of unauthorised access or inadvertent data breaches through AI processes.

2. Compliance Confidence:

On-premises data storage provides greater control over how your data is used and accessed. This can be particularly beneficial for organisations in highly regulated industries where strict compliance with data privacy regulations like GDPR is essential.

3. Reduced Attack Surface:

Repatriating sensitive data can reduce your attack surface by minimising the number of access points for potential attackers. This can be a significant advantage in today’s increasingly sophisticated cyber threat landscape.

Evaluating Cloud Repatriation: A Roadmap for Informed Decisions

Deciding whether to repatriate requires a comprehensive evaluation that considers the specific needs and circumstances of your organisation. Here’s how Covenco can guide you through this critical process:

1. Defining Your Project Goals:

The first step involves clearly defining your public cloud repatriation goals. What pain points are you experiencing with the cloud? Is it a matter of spiralling costs, security concerns, or performance issues impacting business-critical applications? Identifying these specific challenges will help us tailor a repatriation strategy that directly addresses your priorities.

 Furthermore, we’ll work with you to pinpoint the specific workloads and data you’re considering for repatriation. Not all applications are created equal, and some may be better suited for the cloud environment than others. Analysing these workloads from a performance, security, and compliance perspective is crucial for determining the optimal placement within your IT infrastructure.

Finally, we’ll help you establish your desired outcomes for repatriation. Are you seeking cost savings, enhanced security, or improved performance? Understanding your desired outcomes will guide the development of a repatriation strategy that delivers measurable results and aligns with your overall business objectives.

2. Conducting a Comparative Analysis

Once your repatriation goals are clearly defined, Covenco will conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis to assess the viability of repatriation across three key environments: public cloud, on-premises, and hybrid cloud. This analysis will encompass several critical factors:

Cost

We’ll meticulously analyse your current cloud spending patterns, including infrastructure costs, storage fees, and data transfer charges. We’ll then compare these costs to the projected expenses associated with on-premises ownership, factoring in hardware, software licensing, and ongoing maintenance requirements. This detailed cost analysis will provide a clear picture of the potential financial benefits or drawbacks associated with repatriation.

We also factor in the cost of any hardware, solutions, and services for the entire project. Covenco’s partner accreditations with major vendors allow us to source appropriate equipment at costs other resellers cannot match. Our IT Managed Services team is also highly skilled at project delivery and maintains complete control over project costs.

Security

Security is paramount. We’ll evaluate your security posture in both cloud and on-premises environments. In the cloud, we’ll assess the security features offered by your cloud provider and identify any potential gaps that may require additional mitigation strategies.

For on-premises repatriation, we’ll analyse your existing security infrastructure and recommend any necessary enhancements to ensure the highest level of data protection. Additionally, we’ll ensure your data infrastructure aligns with all relevant industry regulations and compliance requirements, regardless of the chosen environment.

Performance

Application performance is critical for business continuity and user productivity. We’ll assess the performance of your workloads in the cloud versus on-premises environments. This may involve conducting performance testing to identify any latency or network congestion issues that could be impacting application responsiveness.

By understanding how different environments affect performance, we can determine the optimal placement for each workload to ensure seamless user experience and optimal business functionality.

3. Developing a Repatriation Strategy

Based on the findings of the comparative analysis, Covenco will collaborate with you to develop a comprehensive repatriation strategy that is tailored to your specific needs. This strategy will encompass the following key aspects:

Workload Selection

We’ll work with you to identify the workloads best suited for repatriation based on the comparative analysis of cost, security, and performance. This may involve prioritising workloads that are highly sensitive, experience performance bottlenecks in the cloud, or contribute significantly to your cloud spending.

Data Migration

Migrating data securely and efficiently is a critical step in the repatriation process. Covenco possesses extensive expertise in data migration tools like Veeam Cloud Connect. We’ll leverage this expertise to develop a secure and efficient migration plan that minimises disruption to your operations and ensures the integrity of your data throughout the process.

Infrastructure Planning

For on-premises repatriation, we’ll assess your existing infrastructure to determine if it can accommodate the repatriated workloads. If necessary, we’ll assist you in designing new on-premises servers, storage and networking hardware that meets the specific requirements of your repatriated data and applications.

Covenco can also source additional hardware that’s either: brand new and the latest generation direct from approved vendors – or refurbished hardware at unbeatable prices with a full warranty.

4. Implementation and Ongoing Support

Repatriation is not a one-time event. Covenco is committed to providing ongoing support throughout the entire process, ensuring a smooth transition and optimal performance of your repatriated data infrastructure. Our support includes:

Project Management

We’ll provide dedicated project management to oversee the entire repatriation process, ensuring all tasks are completed on time and within budget.

Deployment and Configuration

Our team will handle the deployment and configuration of your repatriated workloads on your on-premises infrastructure.

Ongoing Maintenance and Optimisation

Covenco offers ongoing maintenance and optimisation services to ensure your repatriated data infrastructure continues to function optimally and meets your evolving business needs.

Covenco: Your Trusted Partner in Cloud Repatriation

Cloud repatriation empowers you to regain control of your data destiny. However, navigating the complexities of repatriation requires a strategic approach and experienced guidance. Covenco’s holistic approach to IT infrastructure, combined with our extensive expertise in data migration, security, and performance optimisation, makes us the ideal partner for your repatriation journey.

We don’t simply advocate for repatriation; we guide you through a comprehensive evaluation process to determine if it’s the right move for your organisation. If repatriation aligns with your goals, we’ll develop a customised strategy and provide the expertise and resources necessary to execute the process seamlessly.

More importantly, a cloud repatriation project with Covenco could save you much of your IT budget. Covenco is uniquely placed to source the necessary equipment and solutions at prices most resellers cannot match. Our IT Managed Services team also focuses on efficiency and project delivery, so your repatriation project will remain on track and within budget.

Don’t settle for a cloud strategy that doesn’t align with your business needs. Contact Covenco today for a no-obligation consultation to discuss your cloud repatriation options and unlock the full potential of your data. Together, we can ensure your IT infrastructure delivers the performance, security, and cost-effectiveness your business demands.