🤔 Experiences about "Why use the Cloud?"

A quite common discussion I have with peers and customers, especially those who still have a large footprint on-premise, is about what the benefits of using the cloud actually are. Is it "just an industry plan to make more money and steal all our data", or are there actual, tangible benefits to using the cloud?

That’s why I decided to give my perspective and share some of my experiences and opinions regarding this topic.

As you might guess, I fall on the side of the proponents of the cloud because I find the possibilities and potential upsides so huge. That’s also why I chose to focus on this topic a few years ago when I switched to being a cloud architect/consultant. I just love the possibilities it brings and the speed in which new features and possibilities get added to make work better.

But from the more than 20 years of experience I had before that, I also know exactly why there are many companies that hesitate or just cannot move to the cloud because of various reasons. So, as always, there are two sides to the story.

The most profound disconnect I notice when talking about this is that people have a hard time letting go of habits. Changing a mindset and the entire approach to how you need to think about IT processes is a huge mountain to climb and can be quite scary. It is also difficult to manage in the usual day-to-day grind.

Most of the skepticism I encounter stems from incorrect expectations. That leads to disappointment, causes skepticism to grow, and leads people to choose the "safe" way of leaving everything as is.

"It always worked" or "It was always like this" is the moto.

Wrong expectations come from trying to force existing on-premise ways of doing things into the cloud. Just "using the cloud now" and keeping everything the same will not work, and it would also be a huge waste of opportunity. If nothing changes, why invest in the first place?

Also, a huge driver of these expectations is, of course, marketing from vendors like Microsoft and consultants wanting to sell something, who do not always help the customer understand what they are in for.

And that is the main reason why I wanted to write a bit about it. Hopefully, someone reads this and gets the missing puzzle piece of information that helps them make an informed decision.

That is what I always try to achieve with customers: making an informed decision. It's not just about staying on-premises, adopting a hybrid approach or moving to the cloud; it's about helping the customer identify what they are actually trying to accomplish. From there, we can see where the cloud can help them and where a hybrid or on-premise solution would work better.

Change is inevitable, whether we want it or not. So, embracing it and trying to use that change to create a better experience for our end users, a more automated one for us admins, and a more secure one for the CISO doesn't sound that bad, in my opinion.

☁️ Why the cloud is superior?

Moving to the cloud can bring a lot of advantages for organizations. It often helps save money, time, and resources while making costs more predictable and flexible through pay-as-you-go models. Since there is no need for large upfront investments in hardware, companies can avoid significant capital expenses and instead focus their budgets on business priorities.

The cloud also offers strong security benefits, always on the cutting edge of security features. Cloud Hyperscaler invest heavily in areas such as physical security, infrastructure protection, compliance, and continuous monitoring, far beyond what many organizations can realistically achieve on their own. Relying solely on a traditional on-premises network often assumes that everything inside the network can be trusted, which goes against modern Zero Trust security principles.

Another major advantage is flexibility. Cloud platforms make it easy to scale resources up or down as needed, whether for a short-term project or long-term growth. They also support a true "work from anywhere" model, allowing employees to securely access systems and services regardless of location.

In addition, cloud services are constantly evolving. New features, capabilities, and improvements become available automatically, so organizations can benefit from innovation without having to manage complex upgrade projects themselves. The reality is that the vast majority of technology investment from major hyperscalers is focused on cloud platforms, making it the main direction of the industry.

Perhaps most importantly, by letting a hyperscaler handle responsibilities such as hardware management, physical security, and much of the underlying software infrastructure, IT teams can spend less time maintaining systems and more time supporting the business, driving innovation, and delivering value to users.

☁️🏢 Why Hybrid is the best middle way?

A hybrid approach combines the strengths of both cloud and on-premises environments, allowing organizations to modernize at a pace that works for them. Instead of making a large, immediate transition, changes can be introduced gradually, giving teams time to adapt and reducing the risks associated with major infrastructure projects.

This approach also makes upskilling more manageable. Employees can learn new cloud technologies over time while continuing to work with familiar on-premises systems, avoiding the need for a rapid shift in skills and processes.

Another benefit is resilience. While cloud services can provide flexibility and innovation, organizations are not completely dependent on internet connectivity for every workload. Critical systems can remain on local infrastructure when necessary, reducing the impact of connectivity issues and ensuring that essential services remain available.

At the same time, a hybrid model allows businesses to take advantage of new cloud-native features and services that may not be available in traditional on-premises environments. Organizations can leverage the scalability, innovation, and capabilities of the cloud while continuing to operate local servers and deploy custom services where it makes the most sense. This flexibility enables companies to choose the right platform for each workload rather than being limited to a single approach.

🏢 Why on prem is safer and better?

Keeping systems on-premises has several advantages, depending on an organization's requirements and existing infrastructure. One of the biggest benefits is the level of control it provides. Organizations have as much control over their environment as possible, from the hardware and network configuration to security policies and software management. For businesses with highly specific requirements, this level of customization can be difficult to achieve or very expensive in a cloud environment.

If an organization already owns and operates the necessary hardware, the overall costs can be lower, especially when the equipment still has useful life remaining. In some cases, moving to the cloud could introduce additional expenses that may not provide enough value to justify the transition.

On-premises solutions also reduce dependency on third parties. Organizations are less reliant on external providers and avoid many of the concerns associated with vendor lock-in, giving them greater freedom to choose how their infrastructure evolves over time.

Another important advantage is independence from internet connectivity. Critical systems can continue to operate even when internet access is unavailable, which can be essential for certain business operations. In fact, truly isolated or "off-the-grid" environments can only be achieved with on-premises infrastructure, making it the preferred choice for organizations with strict security, regulatory, or operational requirements.

Finally, organizations avoid having to upskill or retrain staff for a new environment. This allows teams to continue working with familiar technologies and processes while retaining full ownership of their infrastructure.

💡 Conclusion

While the cloud gives you the newest features, it also makes you more reliant on external providers. If you want to be efficient, you will most likely lock yourself into a specific vendor.

With a hybrid setup, you get not only the best of both worlds, but also the worst of both worlds.

On‑premises environments rely on outdated protocols and technologies that were never designed for today’s internet landscape, which makes them vulnerable. Providing the level of security required today is only possible with significant effort, third‑party tools, or major limitations in usability.

In the end, no matter what you choose, it is always a trade‑off. You need to find what works best for your environment. Don’t let yourself be blinded by marketing, outdated assumptions, or bad habits. Keep an open mind and think about the possibilities not only the limitations of your situation.

Ask yourself: What is the ideal state I want to reach with my IT?
Then work backwards from that vision. You will quickly discover which solutions can support it and which cannot. Which investments you can afford, and which you cannot afford to skip.

I hope my rambling helped you get a new perspective or if not, did amuse you at least 😉