In recent years, the “cloud-first” strategy has come into question. Enterprises are experiencing cost overruns, performance issues, and regulatory complexities that prompt a second look at their all-in-cloud approach. A 2024 IDC study found that around 80 percent of businesses expect to repatriate some compute or storage workloads within the next year (RSA).
Why Enterprises Are Returning
- Cost overruns: Unpredictable cloud costs can snowball into massive monthly bills. For example, 37Signals reportedly saved over $10 million across five years by moving off the cloud (RSA).
- Performance limitations: Latency-sensitive or mission-critical applications often run faster and more reliably on-premise.
- Data sovereignty: Compliance requirements in sectors like finance and healthcare increasingly demand local control over data storage.
- Security governance: With repatriation, IT teams gain direct control over infrastructure, configurations, and access rights.
Why Identity Governance Matters
Repatriation is not just a platform migration, it’s an identity transformation. Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) becomes essential when workloads return on-premise. Businesses need to tightly manage user access, apply least privilege policies, enforce multi-factor authentication, and maintain audit trails. Hybrid identity environments require integration between on-prem and cloud-based identity providers (RSA).
How Silverthaw Can Help
Silverthaw Consulting supports clients at every stage of the cloud repatriation journey. We combine fractional CIO services with hands-on IT managed services to ensure that your organization makes smart, future-proof decisions.
Step 1: Strategic Evaluation
As your fractional CIO, we provide senior-level guidance without the full-time cost. We:
- Assess performance, cost, compliance, and vendor lock-in risks
- Recommend which workloads to bring back, and which to leave in cloud or hybrid environments
- Deliver a pragmatic roadmap backed by real metrics
Step 2: Identity-First Planning
We prioritise identity governance from day one:
- Design policies based on least privilege and role-based access
- Deploy multi-factor authentication and Single Sign-On integrations
- Audit user access before, during, and after migration
Step 3: IT MSP Delivery
Silverthaw’s managed services team will execute the transition:
- Provision and secure on-premise or hybrid infrastructure
- Manage all phases of data and application migration
- Implement IGA tools to enforce access policies and sync identities
Step 4: Continuous Optimization
Post-migration, we remain your strategic and operational partner:
- Ongoing performance monitoring and tuning
- Scheduled access reviews and identity hygiene enforcement
- Cloud spend control for any remaining SaaS or IaaS resources
Why Clients Choose Silverthaw
| Challenge | Silverthaw Solution |
|---|---|
| Need for CIO-level strategy | Fractional CIO services embedded in your team |
| Migration complexity | End-to-end project management and tech delivery |
| Security and compliance | Identity-centric approach with embedded governance |
| Cost and vendor risk | Hybrid and on-prem strategies tailored for control |
Final Thoughts
Repatriation is not a regression. It’s a reset. It gives businesses back control, improves transparency, and often results in better performance and reduced cost.
If your organization is considering a move back from the cloud, or simply wants to assess the feasibility and impact, Silverthaw can guide you. We combine strategic clarity with tactical delivery—so you can make decisions with confidence.
Let’s have a conversation about what’s best for your business: https://silverthaw.ca/contact
Source: RSA. “Cloud Repatriation: Why Enterprise IT Is Returning from the Cloud.” Accessed July 2025.