Before we discuss the strategic shift in cloud computing adoption and various connected developments, let’s revisit the basics of cloud computing.
According to NIST, the essential characteristics of cloud computing are:
On-demand, with self-service capability: The consumer can provision the capacity without human intervention when required.
Board network access: The capability is available over the network and can be accessed easily through a standard mechanism.
The consumer benefits from resource pooling: The resources are dynamically assigned and reassigned. Capabilities are scalable as per consumer needs. The service should be measurable.
According to a report by Forrester, The State Of Cloud In The U.S., 2022, most U.S. enterprise infrastructure decision-makers are using at least one type of cloud deployment. Forrester released similar reports for Asia, covering Australia and New Zealand, China, India, Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Asia is witnessing targeted growth for cloud-based deployment for applications and infrastructure portfolios.
With more and more companies realizing the benefits of cloud adoption, it is fast becoming a battleground, where companies aggressively pursue their plans to quickly onboard cloud at a near-to-limitless scale. These massive plans come with the “cloud-first” strategy.
Cloud-First Strategy — An Overview
Many organizations have attempted to define and refine the “cloud-first” strategy. Let’s highlight some common principles that can be the baseline for further analysis. Cloud-first strategy is often described by the following:
1. Using cloud services as the default, considering the five characteristics of cloud computing.
2. Designing for the cloud, architect cloud-native and limit customization.
3. Adopting cloud service functionality, automation practices, cloud-based security and other features.
4. Monitoring and measuring cloud services in real-time.
Prioritizing cloud services has led to short-term gains, providing the edge on agility and scalability. However, it also poses some challenges, and cloud-first is not a “one size fits all solution.” To top that, many companies have indicated cost sprawl and overrun, security & compliance concerns. Recognizing these challenges in the “Report to the President on Federal IT Modernization,” released in 2017 by Executive Order 13800,1 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pledged to update the Government’s legacy Federal Cloud Computing Strategy (“Cloud First”).
Cloud-First to Cloud-Smart Strategy
Cloud smart seems like the next step in the adoption of cloud computing. Gartner estimates that 60% of organizations that have adopted a cloud-first approach will switch to a cloud-smart approach by 2023.
Cloud smart addresses the practical implementation challenges. It shares a more comprehensive outlook, providing critical guidance toward security, procurement and workforce alignment.
Finally, it provides more mid-term gains for organizations, rather than focusing on “the here and now” problems.
The CIO Council created a list of actions as concrete steps to be cloud-smart. It outlines several topics, including developing methods of optimizing cloud usage, security architecture enhancement and implementation of security control at scale and collaborative processes to develop innovative models, considering sustainability, vendor lock-in and workforce development. To maximize the value of cloud computing, the cloud-smart approach enables organizations to assess, plan and execute the right mix of private, public, edge and on-premises needs without sprawling into the cloud providers. The top considerations are:
1. Setting realistic goals aligned with the key business outcome.
2. A selective investment strategy toward cloud computing, tools and services.
3. A roadmap toward cloud optimization keeping sustainability goals in mind.
4. Tight control of security and compliance.
5. Cloud exit strategy.
But how does cloud adoption maturity exploit cloud computing? One of the possible ways is to transition into more cloud-minimalism, which is decluttering, refining the value dimension of cloud computing to a more meaningful level of adoption keeping sustainability in mind.
Cloud Smart to Cloud Minimalism
Cloud waste rose at an average of 30% of cloud budgets in 2021. In 2022, it was 32%, according to Flexera. Stormforge reported that 75% of organizations suspected cloud waste. According to a report by PWC, about 53% of enterprises were yet to see “substantial value” from their investment.
Organizations must look at decluttering and refining the value dimension of the cloud. There is a significant focus on security and data protection. Mixing clouds with on-premises cloud computing capabilities is on the cards.
Organizations are also willing to take the next steps toward sustainability. Cloud minimalism focuses on a few optimized activities rather than a big-bang approach toward onboarding. One of the main drivers to investigate the next-generation cloud computing strategy is due to competing visions, goals and future scenarios triggered by complex cloud-based supply-chain models, a substantial shift in security and privacy, regulations and adoption of machine learning and data-driven models.
Cloud minimalism does not mean rejecting or following a specific big-bang way but consciously selecting and intentionally moving workloads to the cloud effortlessly.
Some factors influencing the choice for long-term strategic evolution are:
1. Sustainability Goals Take Center Stage: Sustainability is not a checkbox item. For example, Amazon targets to power 100% of its data centers with renewable energy by 2025. Microsoft aims to be “carbon negative” by 2030. However, operationalizing sustainability is more than just looking at these CSP targets, it is about sustainable engineering practices, controlling and managing waste and underutilization.
2. Security and Privacy Reimagined: Mega cloud security to micro cloud security, the future is about everything. Specifically regulatory and compliance-related guidelines will refine geographical boundaries for hosting applications, and categorization of sensitive information will lead to new security controls, and in some cases, limitations around cloud onboarding. Moreover, the explosion of data-centric applications will need additional controls seen as overheads for cloud providers to host such applications.
3. From Cloud-Native to Edge-Native: With the development, we will seek on-premises, cloud and edge hosting models as a mix for cloud-native to edge-native applications. Architectural evolution and modernization will help to optimally define boundaries.
4. AI Goes Mainstream: The AI era demands more systematic handling of data resources. It is critically important to define ownership, rights and governance posture. In the context of the cloud, it becomes more important to be selective and pragmatic: Where who and how the data is handled. Cloud and data minimalism are disruptive ideas to start but can reap long-term benefits. Developing and evolving AI applications toward processing clean, optimized and precise data with a mix of cloud and on-premise capabilities.
Applied Cloud Minimalism
Recently, we have experienced an explosion of tools and services in the cloud. Cloud computing strategy requires careful due diligence, moving forward. It is time to think “lightweight cloud playbook”. Applied cloud minimalism focuses on the existing workload, decluttering and simplifying the architectural posture, meter usage and optimizing the footprint. Applied minimalism will guide redundant workloads, lift and shift-based workloads and outdated or legacy tools and services.
Applying cloud minimization principles is not a “one size fits all solution”. However, mindful onboarding can bring new opportunities to cloud technology, for example, cloud management tools, responsible sharing and data optimization algorithms, etc.
Conclusion
It is important to look at the strategic goals and outline the short-to-long-term needs of the organization for cloud adoption. It might seem lucrative to embrace the cloud in its entirety in the short term, but it can bring some bottlenecks in the mid-to-long term. Short-term benefits around wholesale cloud onboarding can quickly vanish if there is limited pragmatic thinking and planning. Selectivity in investing in the cloud can bring more benefits in the mid-term to long term. With a more visionary approach toward selecting use cases and determining architectural choices, measuring and metering the impact to further optimize the footprint can be one option.
This article presents a disruptive approach to clouds. We do not know if cloud minimalism is the only answer to cloud complexity and clutter, but it provides some more pathways to meaningfully onboard and explore cloud computing.