- The text outlines six levels of cloud adoption, from no cloud (own datacenter) to full Software as a Service (SaaS), each with varying degrees of control and vendor lock-in.
- Level 1: No cloud (own servers) offers maximum control but slow provisioning; Level 2: Renting servers reduces datacenter management; Level 3: Renting capacity (containers, IaaS) provides flexibility and scalability.
- Level 4: Cloud-native with limited managed services (e.g., databases) reduces the need for specialized staff but introduces some lock-in; Level 5: Advanced cloud services (AI, global databases) create strong dependency on US providers (Amazon, Google, Microsoft).
- Level 6: SaaS (e.g., MS 365) offers total convenience but extreme vendor lock-in, with almost no possibility to switch providers.
- Key insight: Lower levels (1-3) are widely available in Europe and allow switching; higher levels (4-6) are dominated by US providers and involve significant lock-in, especially for critical data.
- The text emphasizes the trade-off between control and convenience, and advises choosing lower levels for sensitive or critical business operations to avoid dependency on a single provider.