The Cloud Is a Lie...| Darrian Hale & Simon Lok | WLPC Phoenix 2024

Well, not entirely… but it’s a great example of what happens when a marketing term becomes more important than the operational model it represents.

So many organizations have directives from on-high to ‘move to the cloud’ without the context required to make any such movement successful. Many of these directives are given under the assumption that a cloud strategy is a money-saving strategy. In reality, these blind migration initiatives often lead to greater expense, lower security and diminished customer - and management - satisfaction.

Let’s find ways to have conversations based in reality, both with your technical staff and non-technical management. First things first, establishing context and expectations up front - including the understanding that the cloud model is not a one-size-fits-all model.

Network data planes, system control, and management all need to be fully understood and addressed, and any honest assessment of cloud viability must include these considerations.

Would you or your senior manager drive a car if the steering inputs were processed in the cloud before the vehicle changed direction? Would you feel comfortable with your critical network functions following a similar path not under your control?

In this session we will discuss in detail these important network component considerations.