Organisations shifting to cloud-by-design approach: Dell

AI, data sovereignty, cost and flexibility forcing rethink on single cloud strategy.

Cost control, performance and operational flexibility are driving organisations across the Asia-Pacific region to adopt multi-hybrid cloud architectures, according to a new study commissioned by Dell.

“Customers are becoming more strategic about where workloads and applications sit, rather than relying on a purely public cloud approach,” said Jamie Humphrey, GM, specialty platforms, Dell Technologies Australia and New Zealand.

In ANZ, 89 percent of organisations are planning some form of cloud repatriation, the survey found, with organisations considering hybrid and private cloud environments.

As organisations recalibrate their operating models, they’re balancing flexibility, cost, governance and performance requirements.

“Customers increasingly want infrastructure that supports business agility while maintaining greater control over sensitive data,” he said.

AI initiatives are also driving organisations toward hybrid and multi-hybrid cloud. As AI workloads grow, organisations need to manage growing volumes of data with regulatory requirements.

“They’re increasingly adopting a cloud by design approach that is closely aligned with AI strategies and business outcomes,” said Humphrey.

Data sovereignty leading the push toward multi-hybrid cloud

In its customer interactions, Dell is finding that data sovereignty, in particular, is leading organisations to consider multi-hybrid cloud models.

“Data sovereignty is the major force behind the conversation, particularly as more data is being created at the edge and AI adoption continues to grow,” Humphrey said.

Businesses are seeking to balance performance, compliance and operational efficiency, without being locked into a single environment.

“Customers are increasingly focused on ensuring data is secure, governed and accessible across different environments,” Humphrey told CRN Australia.

“As AI workloads scale, organisations also need infrastructure that can securely manage growing volumes of data while supporting evolving business and regulatory requirements,” he added.

AI adoption is changing cloud strategies

AI is now influencing infrastructure decisions directly, with 57 percent of respondents planning to invest in on-prem infrastructure for AI, the survey found.

“AI applications require scalable compute, storage and networking capabilities, while also creating greater pressure around governance, security and cost management,” Humphrey said.

“Customers are increasingly running AI closer to where their data already resides, rather than moving large volumes of data into public cloud environments, which means rigid public cloud operating models often no longer meet the enterprise requirements,” he added.

Humphrey’s advice for organisations is to view cloud infrastructure as a platform that enables multiple workloads using the same controls and data planes.

“Businesses should focus on infrastructure strategies that reduce fragmentation and support consistent management across public, private and hybrid cloud environments,” he said.

The key is simplifying operations while creating flexibility across environments.

“Standardisation and automation can help reduce operational complexity while improving scalability and agility,” he added.