cloud lock-in

The tower of artificial intelligence, it seems, may have a very American lock on the front door. This, at least, was the sobering consensus coming out of a recent summit called by Germany’s national competition regulator, the Bundeskartellamt, where a cross-section of the European AI ecosystem...

Many Windows users are accustomed to the seamless experience offered by single sign-on, PIN authentication, or fingerprint scans—not usually realizing that underneath these conveniences lies a critical dependency: the Microsoft account. This account acts as the gateway not only to the Windows...

Microsoft’s dominant position in the software world is again under intense scrutiny, this time from a report backed by its longtime rival Google, raising critical questions about the future shape of cloud computing and potential regulatory responses worldwide. The report, published amid...

For decades, Europe’s ambitions of possessing truly “sovereign cloud” solutions—platforms supposedly placed beyond the reach of foreign powers—have collided with a technological and economic reality: America’s hyperscaler giants, especially Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services, have become...

Microsoft’s approach to cloud licensing has created a complex landscape for enterprises moving to the cloud, particularly those with substantial investments in Windows Server and SQL Server. The issue, as outlined by submissions from Amazon and Google to the UK Competition and Markets Authority...

The recent investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into cloud market competitiveness has brought to light a critical challenge enterprises face when moving from traditional on-premises environments to cloud infrastructure: the complexity and expense of migrating...

Microsoft’s cloud licensing practices have created a complex and costly dilemma for enterprises heavily invested in Windows Server and SQL Server applications when migrating to public clouds other than Azure. While the cloud promises scalability and flexibility, the reality for many...

When enterprises contemplate moving their substantial IT operations and applications to the cloud, those heavily invested in Microsoft ecosystems face a very challenging dilemma. The practical realities of migrating complex Windows Server and SQL Server workloads swiftly confront IT...

When enterprises with heavy investments in Microsoft infrastructure consider moving to the cloud, their choice often boils down to a challenging and costly dilemma: sticking with Microsoft Azure or facing significant financial penalties when running Microsoft software on rival clouds like Amazon...

When enterprises contemplate moving their IT workloads to the cloud, those with significant investments in Microsoft infrastructure typically confront a challenging dilemma. For organizations deeply reliant on Windows Server and SQL Server, the prospect of rewriting applications or migrating...

As companies increasingly look to migrate their applications and infrastructure to the cloud, a significant hurdle has emerged for those heavily invested in Microsoft software ecosystems: the near impossibility of simply swapping Microsoft Windows and SQL Server workloads for Linux-based...

Microsoft's shift in cloud licensing practices has stirred up significant challenges for enterprises heavily invested in its ecosystem, particularly when migrating to cloud infrastructures. The 2019 licensing changes introduced a new layer of costs for running Microsoft server software, such as...

Microsoft's cloud licensing policies have created a significant challenge for enterprises heavily invested in Windows Server and SQL Server environments aiming to migrate to the cloud. Rather than rewriting extensive Microsoft-dependent applications to run on Linux-based infrastructure, many...

The UK cloud computing sector is currently facing intense regulatory scrutiny, particularly focusing on the licensing practices of major cloud service providers Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Google Cloud. This follows the Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) provisional findings...

Microsoft's licensing policies regarding Windows Server software have ignited significant controversy in the cloud computing market, drawing attention from major cloud providers and regulators alike. Recent statements and filings reveal the extent to which these licensing changes have become a...

Microsoft’s Cloud Lock-In: The Stark Cost of Ditching Windows for Linux in the Era of Hyperscale Cloud A transformative shift is happening in enterprise IT, with organizations moving massive workloads from on-premises servers to the cloud. Yet, beneath the hopeful rhetoric of flexibility and...

The Hidden Chains: Why Swapping Microsoft for Linux in the Cloud Remains a Steep Climb Cloud computing has come to define the modern enterprise, offering a tantalizing promise: flexibility, scalability, and innovation, all at the click of a button. In this digital paradise, organizations are...

Cloud Competition and Microsoft’s Licensing: The Fault Lines Beneath Azure and AWS Within the ever-accelerating arms race for cloud dominance, the licensing practices of tech titans shape not just bottom lines but the very freedom of choice for enterprise customers. Beneath the surface of...

It’s a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Europe’s digital corridors, and the cloudscape is crackling with uncertainty and intrigue. The Great European Cloud Quandary Europe’s relationship with US hyperscalers – those cloud behemoths known affectionately (and sometimes acidly) as AWS, Microsoft Azure...

Azure customers with deep roots in Microsoft infrastructure often feel like anyone who’s tried to quit caffeine—trapped by familiar dependencies, aware there are alternatives, but facing a brutal headache at the mere thought of change. As the cloud wars rage on across the UK and beyond, a fresh...