CloudEXPO Silicon Valley Key Insights from CEO Emil Sayegh and CISO Chris Riley

The 23rd International CloudEXPO conference in Silicon Valley brought speakers and attendees from across the globe to engage over the latest topics and innovation surrounding up-and-coming technology for 2019, including cloud migration trends and the next iterations of machine learning for enterprise.

Hostway|HOSTING CEO Emil Sayegh and CISO Chris Riley were not only honored to have the opportunity to present on the CloudEXPO stage in Silicon Valley, but took full advantage of attending other sessions, as well as to meet with attendees on the exhibition floor. Upon reflection of the event, both leaders left with the following key takeaways to share:

CEO Emil Sayegh

Fresh off the main stage after his Silicon Valley keynote presentation, “The Great Correction: Why Are Some Enterprises Fleeing the Public Cloud?“, Sayegh came away with several major insights on this year’s conference:

1. As Sayegh predicted for 2019, the message around the public cloud is shifting: the public Cloud has its strong benefits, but it doesn’t solve every challenge—that’s where the hybrid cloud comes in. Sayegh predictions that the future is hybrid and multi-cloud, rather than a single cloud flavor, is becoming more and more prevalent.
2. Service is king, as infrastructure is getting more and more commoditized with the hyperscalers. The ability to offer differentiating services on top of the public cloud and other infrastructure will be the norm. As an example, greater focus is being given to DevOps within the cloud and its increasing practice to gain better alignment in enterprise businesses. Enterprises are looking for continuous insights on how to improve their cost structure, reduce their risk, and improve their agility from their partners, not just an old fashioned delivered service.
3. Despite the trending shift, IT professionals still feel the pressure from their superiors to move to the public cloud. When protests about cost and security are not enough, use cases are becoming a common tool used to sway cloud decisions to hybrid or multi-cloud models⁠—a tactic noted in several sessions. Throughout the audience mix of enterprise, mid-market, and startups, attendees repeatedly said they look for use case examples as a confirmation that they are not alone in IT challenges and can find the solution.

CISO Chris Riley

This year was Riley’s first time both attending and presenting at CloudEXPO, and he was honored to present on the critical current demands of cloud security in his session “The Great Migration: Retreat from the Cloud Sacrificing Security?” Reflecting on his time perusing the conference, Riley shared the following takeaways:

1. Familiar with other IT events, Riley felt that CloudEXPO was unique in the different topic tracks it offered, including A.I., machine learning, and the intricacies of compliance, including the wide range of industries affected by compliance regulations.
2. In both the sessions and on the exhibition floor, attendees were mostly seeking practical advice to address their current challenges—an indicator to Riley that many IT professionals are seeking the right talent or partner to help navigate the growing complexity of the hybrid cloud.
3. Since it has become clear that no one person can tackle these emerging hurdles alone, more emphasis is being put on collaboration and developing cross-sections of talent, such as the importance of aligning Development with Security and Operations teams or DevSecOps, as Riley covered in his session.
4. Increased interest in code enablement and the human capital needed for visibility into those endeavors demonstrates an evolution from the previous “lift and shift” migration mentality. Instead, organizations are exploring long-term goals and capabilities to shape the cloud journey, effectively moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach.

Ready or Real Solutions and Staying Ahead

As CloudEXPO wrapped up, the team at Hostway|HOSTING left even more excited to bring these tools and techniques to our clients and partners across the globe. Infusing our strategies and services with the latest innovations and insights is crucial to Hostway|HOSTING’s ability to provide the cutting-edge solutions enterprise businesses deserve to stay ahead of the market. We look forward to sharing these solutions with you!

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