REXEL
Look to the future : Continued cloudification Leriche envisions a continued cloudification trend , with an emphasis on identity , data protection and cloud security posture advancement as threats evolve .
“ I think this trend of moving to the cloud , which we call ‘ cloudification ’, will continue for a while . We don ’ t have a strict ‘ move to cloud ’ strategy – we ’ re building in the cloud only . As we put security barriers and measures in place , attackers will constantly try to find new ways to attack and reach their goals . So I ’ m envisioning a quite stable trend in cloudification based on what we ’ ve seen over the last few years .
“ Identity and data will be critical areas of focus for the next 12-18 months ,” he adds . “ Threats will continue evolving as we try to secure things , so we have to stay vigilant on identity and data protection , and evolving our cloud security posture intelligently when moving to the cloud makes sense for the business .”
Sutton anticipates managing disruptors like AI , which could aid containerisation and orchestration but must be implemented securely . Greater serverless computing adoption and a focus on sustainable IT practices are also expected to shape future cloud strategies .
“ There will also likely be a push towards greater serverless computing adoption . But we need to understand that serverless doesn ’ t mean servers disappear – we still need to look at how to secure operations . And I think this is where the developer and coder roles are changing . They need to be more savvy about security and infrastructure , to have more of a fullstack skillset including infrastructure and security layers , to operate future cloud models .
“ Then there will always be , and it will be interesting navigating , the focus on sustainability – how can we do IT sustainably ? This could involve renewable data centres and many other potential approaches that may not even exist today , to see how we can evolve sustainably .”
Rexel ’ s commitment to the cloud roadmap is clear , albeit with talent scarcity as an ongoing challenge given industry-wide demand . As de La Bretèche asserts , Rexel will continue along its current trajectory .
“ Cloud is here to stay . I don ’ t think we ’ re going back to on-premises infrastructure . I ’ ve seen articles suggesting , ‘ Oh , it ’ s too expensive now . Let ’ s go back on-prem ,’ but I don ’ t think that ’ s the case for Rexel today . What I know from Rexel ’ s strategy is that , by 2025 , we ’ ll have to reach 10 % more digital revenue , the equivalent of approximately € 8bn ( US $ 8.7bn ).
“ Digital is our biggest platform , so we really have to support this and ensure we have the right skills , the right people and the right partners to achieve this goal .” 174 May 2024