For a number of years now, Public Cloud solutions have been widely used by technology providers across our Channel Partner ecosystem. It's not hard to see why. The unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and agility offered by Public Cloud makes it a highly attractive platform from which to deliver critical, always-on services to customers and end users, while retaining full control of costs and minimising the need to invest in and maintain on-premises infrastructure.
As a result, many Channel Partners have assumed that Private Cloud platforms will not be suitable for their requirements and do not take the time to fully investigate the possibilities they offer.
But this is misguided. Public Cloud is certainly unmatched in terms of hyperscaling and ease of consumption, shifts in the regulatory landscape means that organisations utilising it exclusively may soon find their compliance obligations becoming increasingly burdensome.
Entering a new era of European data sovereignty
At the time of writing, French cyber security officials are calling for a revamp of European data protection laws around the Cloud, effectively freeing European organisations from the Cloud Act - the 2018 law that requires Cloud providers to surrender the data they store to American authorities when required, regardless of where it is physically hosted, which has prompted multiple European nations to begin seeking 'technological sovereignty' and a distinct, European set of Cloud standards.
This is likely to affect all major Cloud providers, although the extent of this has yet to be seen, as some providers are expected to opt out of the new law entirely, limiting their ability to offer their services in Europe, while others will establish ringfenced European entities or offer a guarantee that all European customers' data will be wholly hosted in Europe.
But in spite of these promises, there is still a considerable lack of clarity around how Public Cloud services will be delivered in Europe, whether this is by the existing giants, or the newcomers who are likely to step in to fill any gaps in the market. It is therefore time for Cloud-savvy organisations to consider whether dependency on Public Cloud solutions will necessarily be in their best interests in the years ahead.
The true value of a holistic, fully integrated IT ecosystem
At EXPO.e, we are engaged in ongoing conversations with organisations across our Channel Partner ecosystem who are constantly looking for ways to optimise the performance, scalability, and operational resilience of their IT infrastructure, in order to meet their customers' expectations in terms of performance, availability, and security. More and more, we find that through these conversations, we arrive at innovative combinations of Public and Private Cloud solutions, with both approaches intelligently integrated and used on an as-needed basis, allowing organisations to access the benefits of both.
Critically, the integration of Private Cloud into the wider IT infrastructure will allow organisations to maintain full control over where their data is hosted, while still enjoying the flexibility of Public Cloud solutions, where this remains viable. Again, we have no guarantee of what the future of European data sovereignty will looks like, so we would advise keeping an open mind, working closely with your trusted technology partners to develop an IT infrastructure that emphasises flexibility, agility, and resilience, by bringing together multiple technologies.
If you'd like to discuss which combination of Public and Private Cloud solutions will best suit your solutions and take the stress out of maintaining full compliance and data security as the regulatory landscape evolves, don't hesitate to contact your Channel Account Manager.
Read our
Partner Brochure
As a trusted partner, our deep expertise and capabilities in Networks, Cloud, Data Centre Solutions, Unified Communications, Cyber Security and Professional Service enable your sales teams to increase your average order values. We design and deliver Channel Partner solutions ranging in value from £5,000 to £1,000,000 per year. Find out more by downloading our Channel Partners Brochure.
