Exploring Trends in Cloud Computing: Insights from Renato Losio

InfoQ recently sat down with seasoned cloud architect, Renato Losio, to get his thoughts on the current trends and challenges in cloud computing. In this interview, Renato explores the evolving domain of cloud architecture, highlighting the increasing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential for specialized services offered by providers beyond the major players. In addition to providing valuable reflections on the cloud technology landscape, he also provides guidance on how B2B marketers can optimize their offerings to better meet the needs of cloud professionals.

InfoQ:  Hi Renato, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you're up to these days?

Renato: I currently live between two cities in Italy and Germany - Trieste and Berlin - where I work remotely as a cloud architect focusing on storage services and relational databases, mostly on AWS. As an InfoQ editor, I love to cover cloud-related topics and anything that is open-source technology. I recently accepted to be the chair for the very first InfoQ Dev Summit in Munich, so I am looking forward to planning the tracks and speakers for what I hope will be a great conference.

InfoQ: How do you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and how do you determine which technologies are worth covering on InfoQ?

Renato: I'm a lazy software engineer, so I will never be able to keep myself up to date just by willpower. Writing for InfoQ forces me to stay ahead of the curve. My goal - both as an InfoQ reader and editor - is to filter out the noise and plethora of product announcements. Even if you consider just the three biggest cloud providers - Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud -  we’re talking about a hundred announcements every week.

A cloud architect cannot easily parse such a large volume of news. As a reader, InfoQ helps me figure out what's important. As an editor, I try to look for the “hidden gems” beyond the big announcements, things that might have an immediate impact on the job of a software engineer. I like to focus on the small incremental changes that may not have that “wow effect,” but can immediately make life easier for practitioners.

InfoQ: The concept of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments appears to be getting traction. What are some of the major cloud trends that marketers should be paying attention to in 2024?

Renato: The primary reference should be the annual InfoQ DevOps and Cloud Report. I believe the evolution of cloud technology has shifted from being revolutionary to a more evolutionary trajectory. There seems to be a consensus in this regard. While numerous announcements and developments are occurring, such as those seen at re:Invent, there's a lack of breakthroughs, with one notable exception: artificial intelligence (AI).

Additionally, there has been a noticeable focus on sustainability and green computing, particularly evident in conference announcements. I believe the majority of the community still views sustainability primarily as a proxy for cost optimization. Thus, they have not fully embraced the concept of sustainability in cloud computing but rather see it mainly as another way to save dollars in the deployment. While there is often a correlation between sustainability and cost savings, it's not always the case. I hope there will be a shift in perception among practitioners.

Another trend is the concept of frugal architectures, as highlighted by the CTO of Amazon at the latest re:Invent conference. The idea revolves around cloud-native architectures that aim to deliver cost-aware, sustainable, and maintainable solutions.

Finally, a topic that has garnered significant attention on InfoQ is "Cloud Computing in the Post-Serverless Era." Bilgin Ibryam suggests a shift from relying solely on the major hyperscalers towards a proliferation of specialized vertical providers. These providers may offer specific services such as partitioned databases or managed CI/CD, fostering a more vertical approach to cloud services across multiple platforms. Users may ultimately opt to utilize third-party services to access these offerings rather than directly engaging with the providers themselves.

InfoQ: What motivates cloud developers and architects and how can marketers better engage with them?

Renato: One of the most challenging aspects revolves around complexity. When attending industry events or conferences, there's often a tendency to become highly enthused and applaud major announcements, inspirational ideas, and the like. However, there are also challenges to contend with. Attending such events often marks the introduction of new challenges. It's like a technical milestone for me. While I may applaud new features or services, that is the moment where I realize that what I previously thought was a well-architected deployment may no longer suffice in light of these announcements. It is the day the goalposts shift, presenting me with fresh hurdles to overcome.

The initial euphoria transforms into new challenges that consistently keep cloud architects engaged. In a way, it feels akin to buying into a trend. I've observed certain architectures, deployments, and services that were undoubtedly cutting-edge five years ago, which were considered cool at the time, but have since become commonplace. The constantly shifting standards keep pushing us forward.

InfoQ: Migrating to the cloud, cloud cost reduction, and moving to a hybrid cloud were cited as the biggest ‘cloud-related’ technical challenges for InfoQ readers, based on the results of an Oct 2022 reader survey.  Do these continue to be major challenges in 2024? What do you currently see as the biggest obstacles to organizations realizing the full potential of cloud technology?

Renato: These are all still big challenges today. Initially, there was widespread acceptance of the idea that the cloud is elastic, allowing users to pay only for what they use, which was indeed advantageous and remains true today. However, the deployments are now more complex, necessitating an iterative approach to cost optimization. Furthermore, utilizing multiple clouds can be both beneficial and problematic.

On one hand, the hybrid cloud offers integration opportunities with data from various sources, including on-premises environments. On the other hand, it poses challenges, particularly considering the rapid expansion of services and options provided by the major providers. Fifteen years ago, AWS offered less than 10 services, which surged to almost 200 options five years ago, and now I have lost count.

Each cloud provider has thousands of different components to consider in their pricing structure. While not all components apply to every deployment scenario, any cloud architect claiming significant cost savings without conducting a thorough data analysis is either overly optimistic or attempting to sell a product or service.

InfoQ: According to a January 2024 report from Hava.io, “Amazon Web Services (AWS) maintains the highest market share at 32%, followed by Microsoft Azure (23%) and Google Cloud (10%).”  Do you anticipate any major shifts in cloud market share - amongst ‘the big three’ - in the coming years? What might be driving these shifts?

Renato: I have some reservations regarding trusting percentages in general, as they can vary depending on how the numbers are derived. However, many companies are increasingly adopting diverse cloud deployments for various reasons, such as through mergers and acquisitions or due to specialized teams working with specific technologies. From my experience, most companies that utilize multiple cloud providers still have a dominant one in their deployment. I anticipate minimal changes within the big three cloud providers, but for the first time, AWS is not the disrupter and has to catch Microsoft and Google in generative AI.

I'm curious to observe how other providers are gaining traction. For example, Cloudflare has evolved from a CDN provider to a full-fledged cloud provider, competing directly with serverless technology and object storage alternatives. Whether it's through increasing their market share or offering novel alternatives in unique ways, I anticipate a broader range of options emerging within the cloud computing landscape.

InfoQ: As an InfoQ editor, you bring extensive experience as a cloud architect, tech lead, and cloud services specialist.  How does your professional work inform your InfoQ writing? How has writing for InfoQ helped you in your career?

Renato: The greatest advantage of InfoQ is the opportunity to interact with remarkable individuals I wouldn't have encountered otherwise. Whether it's through writing news articles, attending QCon events, or serving as a conference chair, I've had the chance to engage with incredible people.

Before my involvement with InfoQ, I was somewhat entrenched in a narrower perspective. Having predominantly focused on AWS for nearly a decade, I was confined to a bubble. This isn't to say that AWS is inadequate; it's an exceptional and captivating platform. However, I had limited exposure to alternative approaches and deployments. InfoQ has provided me with the opportunity to broaden my horizons and explore different methodologies and deployments, affording me a more well-rounded understanding of the landscape.

InfoQ: Looking ahead, Renato, what do you envision as the next frontier in cloud architecture and services?

Renato: In the upcoming years, the predominant focus will continue to be on integrating AI into every facet of cloud services. Additionally, a trend I've noticed is the concerted effort to streamline complexity. Over time, the cloud has evolved from offering just a few services to now boasting hundreds of distinct offerings. Consequently, developers have to determine which services to utilize, how to connect various components, and how to integrate different pieces effectively.

For many years, discussions at conferences have revolved around finding ways to manage this escalating complexity and I anticipate that AI will play a pivotal role in addressing this challenge. At least, that's my hope for the future.

InfoQ: What advice do you have for B2B marketers looking to reach cloud architects in 2024 with new services and offerings?

Renato: As a cloud architect, there are two primary concerns I always consider when approaching new services or features. Firstly, I evaluate the ease of integration into my existing deployment. This doesn't just pertain to the technological aspect but extends to logistical considerations as well. For instance, can I seamlessly incorporate your technology using a marketplace from a major cloud vendor, or would I need to establish a new contract with another provider?

Most cloud architects have significant control over their deployments and AWS costs. For example, a cloud architect might be able to decide for thousands of euros on AWS billing, even for third-party providers, without encountering obstacles. However, acquiring licenses or subscriptions often involves a different procurement process. Thus, the ease of integration is crucial.

The second concern revolves around the reluctance to adopt multi-cloud or external services. It's not because these services aren't superior; in fact, I'm aware of many that outperform alternatives. For instance, MongoDB Atlas may be a superior technology compared to AWS DocumentDB, which is sometimes viewed as a subpar managed option. However, if the NoSQL database is not the crucial component of the deployment, simplicity and GDPR requirements make it more convenient to consolidate everything within a single provider.

Convincing me to overcome this barrier requires demonstrating that the added effort is worthwhile. In Europe, especially for large companies, these considerations are important. When someone claims there's no overhead, I'm usually skeptical and interpret it as an attempt to make a sale rather than an accurate assessment of the situation.