IaaS, or infrastructure as a service
Learn about Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), its applications, the businesses that utilize it, and the kinds of infrastructure that fall under this category of cloud services.
“The hybrid cloud conversation in the Nordics focuses more on a cloud-if-it-makes-sense principle, rather than a cloud-first principle,” explains Joen Meier Olsen, senior manager of strategy advisers in EMEA for Apptio. While the rest of EMEA is likely more taking a cloud-first strategy, businesses are shifting to the public cloud if it makes sense from a financial or operational standpoint in comparison to the current configuration.
Early adopters of private cloud computing, Nordic organizations developed the operational intelligence and skill set necessary to run clouds in-house or through co-location agreements. However, as is frequently the case, those that embrace a technology first become laggards when confronted with a new development.
Margaret Dawson, vice-president of portfolio strategy at Apptio, which IBM acquired in August 2023, explains that public cloud options were not instantly appealing in that market since so many Nordic enterprises had been utilizing private clouds with local vendors for such a long period.
Based in Denmark, Olsen claims that up until recently, consumers could obtain the same service via the public cloud. He states, “The only difference was that you got it from a different vendor.”
However, public cloud computing has advanced much since then, providing many of the features that the Nordic region was thought to be lacking, such as improved regional sovereignty. The majority of organizations now find that accessing the newest technologies, such as remote work tools and artificial intelligence (AI), is best achieved through public clouds.
These factors are driving an increase in public cloud service subscriptions among Nordic businesses. But since they prefer to maintain their private cloud as well, they typically wind up with a hybrid cloud system.
According to Dawson, “doing the right thing for the right application and the data in the right place is the main reason companies in the Nordic region want hybrid.” “They won’t respond hastily to any particular infrastructure.”
Hybrid cloud provides agility by reducing the risks associated with focusing too much on any one type of infrastructure or location and enabling organizations to make decisions based on a specific set of demands.
Dawson explains, “It helps you manage your risk.” It supports both catastrophe recovery and business continuity. Cost is another advantage, but only in the presence of visibility. When necessary, you can use the least expensive infrastructure, and you can maximize every environment.
Getting hybrid clouds to function
In Dawson’s opinion, depending on how the hybrid cloud environment is managed, cost may be seen in both positive and negative ways: “If you’re not using the right tools, you probably aren’t optimising cost because you can’t look at everything you need to see – your applications, infrastructure, labour, and different data sources,” she says. Managing costs can be advantageous if you have the correct tools since they give you greater visibility and enable you to place your assets in the best possible locations.
Dawson suggests that individuals rationalize their data and application placement. To start, establish a set of guidelines and standards for assigning responsibility. After this is established, dismantle the organizational silos that come with a hybrid environment and concentrate on data placement and control strategies.
