From the sky to the ground: the hybrid cloud shift
Cloud too costly? Italian companies are taking their data back in-house
In 2024, something shifted in the way Italian companies handle their data. A growing number of businesses—particularly in highly regulated sectors like finance and public administration—began scaling back their exclusive use of public cloud services. Instead, they started bringing part of their digital infrastructure back on-premise, into their own servers. This trend is gaining momentum in 2025, driven by a mix of economic, technological, and strategic concerns.
A global survey commissioned by Cloudera revealed that 45% of Italian IT executives are increasingly worried about the rising costs of cloud data management. Spiking energy bills and software licensing fees have undermined the cost-effectiveness of an all-in cloud model. But the issue runs deeper: one in two companies report trouble accessing their own data, while only 22% fully trust the information available to guide strategic decisions.
A major challenge lies in interoperability—making on-premise systems and cloud platforms talk to each other smoothly. As of now, just 19% of Italian enterprises have implemented Data Lakehouse architectures, which combine the raw data storage capacity of a data lake with the structured organization of a data warehouse. This hybrid format allows for more flexible, real-time data management and analysis.
What is hybrid cloud?
Hybrid cloud refers to an IT infrastructure model that blends public cloud services (like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud) with private, on-site servers. It offers companies the flexibility to choose where to store and process their data depending on cost, security, and performance requirements.
Despite growing skepticism, investment in cloud technology remains strong. According to the Politecnico di Milano’s Cloud Transformation Observatory, Italian companies spent €6.8 billion on cloud services in 2024—up 24% from the previous year. Artificial intelligence is a major driver: 87% of AI tools in large Italian firms run on cloud-based infrastructure.
And Italy is not alone. Gartner projects that by 2027, 90% of global organizations will have adopted some form of hybrid cloud. In countries like Germany and France, major industrial players are already reinternalizing portions of their IT infrastructure to regain control and reduce reliance on U.S.-based providers. Across Europe, this is part of a broader push for digital sovereignty, which includes local data centers, open architectures, and stricter interoperability.
How Italian companies are reacting
WIIT has built a hybrid architecture tailored for high-criticality sectors like manufacturing, combining edge computing, private cloud, and public services.
Aruba Enterprise, in partnership with Red Hat, promotes open cloud platforms that allow seamless migration across different environments.
Nehos delivers customized hybrid solutions for SMEs, balancing local data center use with cloud-based scalability.
Openjobmetis maintains a cloud-first strategy: despite growing costs, the company values the management simplicity of the cloud.
Even with the growing appeal of hybrid models, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Infrastructure decisions are no longer driven by trends but by regulation, sector-specific needs, and organizational culture.
A flexible future
Experts agree: the key issue is no longer technological—it’s managerial. Companies need unified data governance systems that let them shift workloads across environments without rewriting code or restructuring their entire IT stack. The cloud, once considered a destination, is now simply a tool. And how you use it matters more than ever.
In today’s digital economy, businesses aren’t chasing silver bullets. They’re seeking balance. And in that balance, the ability to decide where, how, and with whom to manage data is becoming the new definition of digital freedom.
From the sky to the ground, the hybrid cloud shift