News of On-Premises’ Death Is Greatly Exaggerated

Joao Correia

August 26, 2024 - Technical Evangelist

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We often find ourselves making educated guesses about the future. We speculate which technologies will soar, which platforms are worth our investment, and what the landscape of our tech stacks will look like a few years down the line.

Sometimes, we’re even right.

Cloud Adoption: The Hype vs. Reality

For years, we’ve been led to believe that everything is either running on the cloud or on its way there. With a constant barrage of new cloud platforms, services, and features, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype.

Analysts have long predicted that on-premises infrastructure is becoming obsolete, headed for extinction like the Dodo. But here’s the thing about predictions: sometimes, they’re wrong. And when they’re wrong, they can be spectacularly so.

The Uptime Institute’s Global Data Center Survey 2024 sheds light on the reality of today’s IT infrastructure landscape. According to their findings, 45% of total workloads are still primarily supported by on-premises infrastructure. Co-location services, which are essentially outsourced on-premises setups, account for another 18%. Meanwhile, various cloud solutions, hybrid clouds, and APIs, despite all the buzz, make up the rest.

Let’s be clear: the cloud is undoubtedly useful, widely used, and critical in today’s IT ecosystem. But what it isn’t, is the main driver of corporate IT – and it’s really a wild guess if it ever will be..

The Bandwagon Effect in Cloud Adoption

So, why does it feel like everyone is moving to the cloud? Enter the bandwagon effect. This psychological phenomenon explains how people tend to do something simply because others are doing it. It’s a powerful force, and it’s playing a significant role in the cloud migration trend.

Consider the case of Unisuper, an Australian investment fund. A few months ago, Unisuper suffered a catastrophic loss of their entire Google Cloud data. Not just a system or a database, but everything. A one-in-a-million bug turned a routine operation into a disaster, leading to a week-long outage of Unisuper services. And they only recovered because they had external backups (at another cloud provider. <sigh>).

In one of their statements, Unisuper mentioned that they, like many other large companies, use the cloud – not as an afterthought, but as a justification for using it. This wasn’t just a technical choice – it was also a reflection of the bandwagon effect. They were following the herd, perhaps without fully considering whether the cloud was truly the best fit for their needs.

Was it better? Who knows. Was it cheaper? Basecamp doesn’t think so. More reliable? Not in this case.

The Importance of Control

Now, I’ll admit my bias – I’ve been in this field long enough to witness challenges that might make newcomers reconsider their career paths. But one thing is clear to me: when it comes to IT infrastructure, control matters.

Imagine a scenario where you need to prevent a data breach. I bet you $10 I can run downstairs to the server room and yank the network cable before you can log in to your cloud provider’s panel, navigate through multi-factor authentication, find the right VM (no, not that one, the other one with the similar name), locate the power menu, and hit the shutdown button – only to realize you should have used “force off” because shutdown takes a while.

The cloud isn’t magical. It doesn’t eliminate your management responsibilities. Depending on your service level – whether SaaS, IaaS, or whatever-aaS – you’re still responsible for (atleast parts of) the security, management, and patching of the systems. Yes, you should still be live patching your cloud VMs, just like your on-premises ones.

The difference is, you don’t have the same level of control or access.

The Right Tool for the Job

So, what does this mean for your organization? It means that you shouldn’t feel pressured into a cloud migration without a solid reason. On-premises infrastructure can and should remain a viable option for many companies. The cloud is a powerful tool, but it’s just that – a tool. It’s not the focal point of your IT strategy, nor should it be unless it’s the right fit for your specific needs.

In the end, the best IT strategy isn’t about following trends; it’s about what’s right for your organization. Whether you choose to stay on-premises, move to the cloud, or adopt a hybrid approach, what matters most is that the choice serves your business objectives.

So, the next time you’re faced with the decision of whether to jump on the cloud bandwagon, remember: you’re not making the wrong choice by staying on-premises. You’re making the right choice by doing what’s best for your organization.

Summary