In an increasingly technology-driven world, the adoption of cloud solutions and the transition to multi-cloud environments have become crucial topics for companies looking to optimize their operations and remain competitive. In this interview, Ángel Blancas, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Grupo Aire, provides a strategic perspective on the challenges, benefits, and future of cloud computing, drawing from over 30 years of experience in the tech sector at leading companies like Indra, Dell, Oracle, and T-Systems.
Blancas leads the product strategy at Grupo Aire, a company at the forefront of technology offering connectivity solutions, cloud services, data centers, and managed services. His mission is clear: to accompany companies in their digital transformation, anticipating market trends and promoting innovation. With a focus on data sovereignty and sustainability, Grupo Aire aims not only to optimize the technological infrastructure of its clients but also to contribute to a more efficient and environmentally responsible digital future.
In this conversation, we explore how the cloud is transforming businesses, why companies are increasingly opting for multi-cloud strategies, and how to address the barriers that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face in this process. We also delve into the necessary measures to ensure cloud security, the essential role of partners in migrations, and the key trends that will define the future of the cloud. With a focus on sustainability, the interview discusses how cloud solutions are helping companies reduce their carbon footprint, paving the way for a new era of energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.
Cloud Computing Adoption
What are the main benefits your clients have observed from adopting cloud solutions?
The migration to the cloud, whether public, private, or hybrid—as offered by Grupo Aire—provides companies with a series of key benefits for their digital transformation. One of the most important is the enhancement of application performance. By moving applications to a modern and optimized infrastructure in a data center like the ones we operate, companies experience increased processing speed, lower latency, and significantly improved availability. Tecnovia, a Portuguese company operating in engineering, construction, industry, concessions, and real estate, with which we had the opportunity to work in configuring a private cloud environment by connecting the data centerA data center or data processing center (DPC)… to its facilities, experienced substantial improvements in the operation of its internal applications after migrating to OASIX’s private cloud. This translates into greater productivity and a better user experience.
Security is another foundational pillar. OASIX’s cloud solutions incorporate robust security measures, such as secure connections, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and automated backups that protect critical business data against cyber threats and ensure business continuity. Moreover, compliance with European data protection regulations—an essential aspect for OASIX—gives companies peace of mind knowing that their data is managed according to the highest standards.
Another crucial benefit is resource optimization. By outsourcing infrastructure management to OASIX, companies free their internal teams from maintenance and administration tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic activities that add value to the business.
The scalability and flexibility offered by the cloud are essential in today’s business environment. Companies can adjust their computing, storage, and networking resources based on their needs, quickly adapting to demand fluctuations and new market opportunities. This flexibility allows companies to optimize their costs and respond agilely to market changes.
Lastly, the cloud facilitates access to innovative technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data. At OASIX, we provide the infrastructure and necessary tools so that companies can harness the potential of these technologies, driving innovation and data-driven decision-making. This enables them to glean valuable insights from their data, automate processes, and develop new products and services.
Multi-Cloud Environment
In your opinion, why are more and more companies opting for a multi-cloud environment rather than relying on a single provider?
The growing adoption of multi-cloud environments is due to the flexibility they offer, allowing companies to choose the best solutions from each provider for each workload, optimizing both performance and cost. Risk mitigation is crucial: by distributing workloads, companies reduce reliance on a single provider and ensure business continuity. OASIX, with its access to multiple data centers, facilitates this diversification.
Additionally, compliance is simplified by allowing data storage in different regions. OASIX, as a local provider, helps companies comply with European regulations. Supported by providers like OASIX, a multi-cloud strategy optimizes cloud operations and maximizes return on investment.
What are the main benefits of a multi-cloud strategy? And the main challenges? How do they help companies manage the complexity that arises when implementing a multi-cloud environment?
Managing the inherent complexity of multi-cloud environments is a challenge we address with a comprehensive approach. Our orchestration platform provides a unified view, simplifying management and automating tasks. An expert support team offers personalized advice on implementing, migrating, and managing different platforms. A key point is that we tailor our solutions to the specific needs of each company, considering their workloads and security requirements, and facilitate the integration of on-premise environments with public clouds, creating a coherent hybrid environment. Our extensive network of data centers offers flexibility and location options to optimize latency and regulatory compliance. In summary, we provide the tools, support, and expertise for efficient, secure, and scalable multi-cloud management.
Barriers to Cloud Adoption in SMEs
What are the main barriers preventing SMEs from mass-adopting cloud solutions? What are the most common security and cost concerns SMEs have when migrating to the cloud? What solutions does your company offer to help SMEs overcome these obstacles?
The complexity of cloud management, exacerbated by a lack of qualified personnel and the resulting reliance on third parties, represents a significant barrier to cloud adoption among SMEs. It is important to note that many SMEs lack the internal resources to manage complex cloud infrastructures, which generates uncertainty and reluctance. Alongside this is the concern over data security, often based on misconceptions about cloud vulnerability. Cost, another key factor, also raises doubts, and the lack of understanding of pay-per-use models and aversion to hidden costs complicate decision-making for these companies.
At OASIX, we address these barriers with solutions specifically designed for SMEs. Simplifying the integration of hybrid infrastructures allows for a gradual and less disruptive transition, while managed services relieve SMEs of the burden by providing a team of experts to handle maintenance, security, and infrastructure optimization. Additionally, the pay-per-use model offers transparency and cost control, adapting to the needs and budget of each SME. With these solutions, we aim to facilitate access to the advantages of the cloud, removing traditional barriers and allowing SMEs to focus on their core business.
Migration and Complexity
What aspects of cloud migration tend to be the most complex for companies? How do you help reduce this complexity? What measures do you consider necessary for SMEs to have more confidence in migrating to the cloud?
The most complex aspects in these cases often involve server migration and the configuration of new environments. Migrating servers entails transferring virtual machines, databases, and applications, and configuring new cloud environments requires decisions about instance types (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), virtual network configurations (VLANs, subnets, firewalls), and identity and access management (IAM).
At OASIX, we seek to reduce this complexity using tools like Veeam BackupA backup is a copy of data created and stored… & Replication for efficient migrations and image-level replication, ensuring rapid disaster recovery. We also provide professional services for designing and implementing robust and secure cloud architectures, following best practices.
To overcome the tendency for SMEs to distrust cloud migration, we focus on three key measures: proximity, which translates into low latency and local support, crucial for critical applications; knowledge of the local business, which allows us to offer solutions tailored to the specific needs of each sector, optimizing performance and efficiency; and regulatory compliance, always adhering to GDPR and other European regulations, including high-level ENS certification, guaranteeing data security and sovereignty.
In summary, we provide the infrastructure, tools, and experience for a secure, efficient migration tailored to each client, building trust in the process and working person-to-person, a concept that is embedded in the group’s DNA.
Cloud Security
In terms of security, what challenges do companies face when migrating to the cloud? What are the most effective security measures you recommend implementing when working in the cloud? How do you approach security in multi-cloud environments, especially considering the rise in cyber attacks on cloud platforms?
Companies migrating to the cloud face challenges such as loss of visibility and control, identity and access management, data security, regulatory compliance, and emerging threats. Mitigating these risks begins with implementing a solid IAM strategy, encrypting data at rest and in transit, implementing a SIEM, performing regular backups, and staying updated on the latest threats.
In multi-cloud environments, complexity increases. To address this, it is crucial to implement a centralized security strategy, utilize multi-cloud security tools, and work with specialized providers. A centralized security strategy allows for consistent security management across all clouds, multi-cloud tools provide visibility and control across all platforms, and specialized providers, like us, offer the expertise needed to design and implement a robust strategy.
The Role of Partners
What role do partners play in the success of a cloud migration? How do they ensure that migration projects are well-supported from planning through execution and maintenance? What additional services do they offer to help companies manage their cloud infrastructure after migration?
Partners play a crucial role in the success of cloud migration, acting as advisors and facilitators for companies looking to adopt cloud solutions. Their experience in planning, implementing, and managing cloud projects is essential for a smooth and efficient transition. Additionally, partners add value by specializing in areas such as optimization, security, and the modernization of legacy systems—key aspects for maximizing the benefits of the cloud.
To ensure complete support from planning to execution and maintenance, Grupo Aire provides its partners with tools and resources that simplify the management of complex environments. Grupo Aire’s orchestrator, for example, offers a unified view of cloud and bare-metal environments, facilitating hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure management. Furthermore, an expert support team provides ongoing advice to partners, ensuring successful execution of migration projects.
Beyond migration, Grupo Aire offers additional services to help companies manage their cloud infrastructure. These services include cloud backup solutions, which allow companies to protect their data and ensure business continuity. Partners can advise companies on the selection and implementation of these solutions, customizing them to their specific needs.
Sustainability and the Future of Cloud
Do you believe that sustainability is becoming a key factor in choosing cloud solutions? How are you helping companies reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption through cloud solutions? How do you see the future of cloud, and what new trends do you anticipate will shape the evolution of multi-cloud environments in the coming years?
Sustainability has recently become a key factor when choosing cloud solutions. Companies are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their operations and are seeking providers that share their commitment to sustainability.
On our part, we help companies reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption through cloud solutions in several ways, one of which is optimizing the energy efficiency of our data centers, where we utilize efficient cooling technologies like air and liquid cooling, and we constantly measure our efficiency through PUE (Power Usage EffectivenessThe PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) index is used…) to minimize energy consumption. Additionally, we explore the use of renewable energy in our data centers to further reduce our environmental impact. Furthermore, by offering virtualization and cloud migration solutions, we help companies reduce the amount of physical hardware they need, which consequently decreases their energy consumption and cooling requirements.
From Grupo Aire, we see the future of cloud marked by the growing adoption of technologies like AI or Big Data, which require powerful and efficient infrastructures. Sustainability will continue to be a key factor in the evolution of multi-cloud environments, driving demand for data centers powered by renewable energy and optimizing energy consumption—a pressing issue today. Cloud migration will remain a trend, allowing companies to reduce their carbon footprint and optimize their costs, and we certainly anticipate greater integration of energy management solutions in cloud platforms, enabling companies to monitor and control their energy consumption more accurately—this being the first step towards awareness and accountability for the footprint each company leaves on the path to a more sustainable future.