The Rise of Cloud Repatriation
Why Enterprises Are Bringing Data Workloads Home
As the realities of public cloud—rising costs, security limitations, and performance unpredictability—come into sharper focus, many organizations are bringing data workloads back on premises, into private clouds or hybrid environments. This trend, known as cloud repatriation, is gaining traction as organizations seek more control, improved cost-efficiency, and enhanced security for their most critical data assets.
A recent survey by OpenText and Foundry reveals what's driving this shift and how IT leaders are benefiting from a more strategic, workload-optimized approach.
The Repatriation Trend at a Glance
87% of enterprises have already repatriated some workloads.
14% have fully exited public cloud environments.
87% of enterprises plan to repatriate workloads in the next 12 to 24 months.
Top 5 Drivers of Cloud Repatriation
Why enterprises are pulling workloads back from the public cloud:
- Security and data privacy concerns: Growing risks and stricter regulations demand more control.
- Rising and unpredictable cloud costs: Organizations seek to rein in spend and improve cost visibility.
- AI/ML workload inefficiency: High computing and storage needs make cloud cost prohibitive.
- Performance limitations: Low latency and high throughput are easier to achieve on premises or in private clouds.
- Vendor lock-in: Proprietary platforms reduce flexibility and increase switching costs.
Repatriation is a proactive move to align infrastructure with evolving business priorities.
What Enterprises Gain from Repatriation
IT decision makers report meaningful benefits after moving workloads out of the public cloud:
- 92% saw an improvement in security posture.
- 4 in 10 improved cost control and predictability.
- 60% reported cost savings of more than 25%.
- More than 50% experienced faster performance and greater operational control.
Repatriation isn't a rollback—it's a strategic upgrade in cost, security, and agility.
High-Cost, High-Risk? Time to Bring It Home
80% of organizations plan to repatriate data workloads from the public cloud.
AI/ML workloads top the list of repatriation targets in the next 12 to 24 months. Why? These workloads are data-intensive, costly to run at scale in the cloud, and demand tighter control over performance and governance.
Rethinking Infrastructure: Where Data Lands Next
Distribution of planned repatriated workloads by target environment (%):
- 30% Private cloud
- 26% Hybrid cloud environment
- 25% On-premises datacenter
- 19% Edge computing infrastructure
Enterprises are not abandoning cloud—they're rebalancing where data lives. As they repatriate data workloads, they're prioritizing performance, cost, and security. The data speaks for itself: analytics platforms need to deliver on all three.
OpenText Analytics Database is purpose-built for these environments—offering the flexibility to deploy on premises or in private clouds, while delivering unmatched query performance, enterprise-grade security, and predictable total cost of ownership (TCO).
Wherever your data lands, OpenText ensures it performs.
Ready to Repatriate?
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Get the full report to read about the top drivers behind data repatriation—and what it means for your bottom line.
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