The (European) cloud ladder: from virtual server to MS 365 - Bert Hubert's writings
a day ago
- The article explains a 'cloud ladder' with six levels: no cloud, renting servers, renting capacity, limited cloud-native, full cloud-native (advanced services), and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) like MS 365.
- Higher levels (SaaS, advanced services) offer more convenience but create strong vendor lock-in, especially to Amazon, Google, or Microsoft.
- Lower levels (servers, capacity) are more standardized and have European providers, reducing dependency and allowing easier switching.
- The optimal balance for many organizations is around capacity level (3-4), where control and flexibility are preserved while offloading work.
- European governments and experts advocate for staying at lower levels to avoid lock-in, while providers push higher-level solutions for profit.
- MS 365 is the ultimate example of vendor lock-in: only Microsoft provides it, and leaving is nearly impossible.