Cloud computing and storage certainly provides an ecosystem of compliance, backup and recovery, as well as effective management and monitoring of your data. The question today is if cloud solutions are still the modus operandi. A personal moment of enlightenment made me rethink the pros and cons of cloud storage versus on-prem.
PERSONAL ENLIGHTENMENT
It happened one late evening, like many moments in an IT professional’s life. You start tweaking and experimenting with your files — something you probably shouldn’t be doing, especially after midnight. Still, you persist as if it’s a lifelong learning opportunity. And so, I decided, now would be a good time to back up (and sync) some files to my personal Microsoft OneDrive. It initially seemed like a good idea — backing up important files for disaster recovery, avoiding accidental deletion, preventing the dangers of cyber threats and archiving data. The process began as personal photos, old writings and folders began synchronizing. After a while I paused and thought, “do I really want all of these files in the cloud?” I paused the process and questioned what files I really wanted to auto-sync. In an uncharacteristic moment, I hastily deleted a few files from my personal OneDrive. I quickly realized, however, that deleting a file from my Microsoft OneDrive would also move it from its original location to a cloud-based recycle bin, while also being deleted from all my synced devices. The word “deleted” gave me a sinking feeling and convinced me to restore files and move them to a hopefully “safer” place.
Perhaps the looming question for today’s IT world is, should I keep data in the cloud, or should I store it on prem, or perhaps in both locations? Although this was a personal situation, I pondered what the trend and best practices are today for institutions utilizing cloud computing.
HISTORICAL CLOUD COMPUTING
An early concept of cloud computing can be traced back to the 1960s with a speech by Stanford professor John McCarthy, in which he referred to a future when computing would be packaged as a public utility, glimpsing the “as a service” concept, and a time when “Each subscriber needs to pay only for the capacity he actually uses, but he has access to all programming languages characteristic of a very large system.” In the early 1970s, IBM introduced the concept of virtual machines, and the 1990s ushered in the dot-com era with the introduction and adoption of the term “cloud,” along with the development of virtual private networks (VPNs), VMware, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM). In the early 2000s, cloud services became mainstream as Amazon Web Services was introduced and matured, followed by Microsoft Azure and Google’s Cloud services. During this impressive period of growth, cloud computing transformed business and educational environments throughout the world. It offered a dynamic future of increased scalability, accessibility, and effective and efficient services 24/7.
CLOUD GROWTH
Throughout the decade of 2010-2020, growth and continued investments in cloud computing dramatically increased. The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of cloud technologies. As the business marketing company TechTarget pointed out last year, “While the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for many small businesses, things couldn’t have been better for cloud operators. Enterprise spending on IaaS [infrastructure as a service] surged to $37 billion in the fourth quarter of 2020, a 35 percent jump compared to the same period in 2019, according to Synergy Research.” To better visually understand the cloud infrastructure market, Synergy developed a graphical representation of the growth in cloud revenues from 2014-2024. The steep trajectory demonstrates the impressive improvement and investment in cloud computing. However, reservations about its unchecked growth have cropped up.
CLOUD REPATRIATION
Today, a new trend in cloud storage has emerged called “cloud repatriation.” This is a process of moving applications and data away from cloud service providers, such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, back to on-prem data centers, private cloud locations or colocation areas. The rationale for this migration from the cloud is based upon high costs, compliance issues, and the need for better performance, data security and local control of the overall infrastructure.
The online magazine BizTech noted in August 2025, “many organizations are re-evaluating their cloud-first strategies and moving some workloads from the public cloud back on-premises,” and this specific trend is “meant to reallocate the 21 percent of cloud infrastructure spending that is typically wasted on underused resources.” While this trend of repatriation is growing, a story in CIO Magazine the following month emphasized that CIOs are not necessarily backing away from utilizing the cloud. In fact, “Analyst coverage indicates that end-user spending will reach roughly $723 billion in 2025, keeping the cloud at the heart of most portfolios. At the same time, many CIOs are reassessing workload placement because cost profiles drift, performance is uneven by region and tier and regulatory expectations have tightened.”
CLOUD FORECAST
When considering what cloud services might be best suited for higher education, a whole host of strategic decisions need to be considered. While AI, quantum computing and edge computing will likely redefine our cloud forecast, as the aforementioned TechTarget story pointed out, we need to carefully look at our current services and what best suits our institution, faculty, staff and students. Questions to consider might include: Is there a clear application fit for the cloud? Can your current IT staff handle cloud versus on-prem services, or both? What level of scalability do you need? What can you afford? What options offer the most robust security and compliance features? Do you have trusted consultants to help you along the way? Certainly, the cloud forecast for your institution can be extremely clear, but it could also turn cloudy or overcast depending upon your decision-making. It’s really your choice. Consider what’s best for your specific institutional needs, and choose wisely.
