If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the world of cloud storage, you know the feeling: you spin up volumes in AWS or Azure, everything seems golden—until usage spikes, the monthly bill climbs higher than a Kiwi bungy jumper, and you end up juggling multiple dashboards like a circus performer. Yes, cloud is amazing, but it also ushers in a host of potential headaches.
The Aussie Connection (and a Hint of Rivalry)
Public cloud providers have been in Australia for quite a while—AWS launched a Sydney region in 2012—so Aussie companies have had a solid head start. Now that a wave of public cloud offerings is finally arriving in New Zealand, we Kiwis can do one of two things: lean into our All Blacks vs. Wallabies rivalry and refuse to listen to the Aussies’ cautionary tales—because, let’s be honest, we love beating them in rugby—or glean some valuable lessons from their experiences. Some Aussie businesses dove in headfirst, then realized public cloud can come with unexpected bills, performance quirks, and data issues. Maybe, just maybe, we can learn from their missteps—even if we’d never say that about rugby.
1. “My Bill Is How High?”
One of the biggest “gotchas” in public cloud storage often boils down to pricing. Whether you’re in Auckland, Wellington, or Sydney, you pay by capacity, performance, and snapshots—and costs can balloon quickly.
Potential Fix: Some platforms bundle performance and capacity in more predictable ways. For instance, Dell APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud (APEX) is cited in a Silverton Consulting study for potentially delivering up to 87% savings compared to AWS EBS. Regardless of your provider, thin provisioning—paying only for what you use—is a key strategy for keeping finances under control.
2. The “Performance on a Budget” Puzzle
Data-intensive workloads often need more horsepower. In many native cloud models, cranking up performance can be pricey or complicated.
Potential Fix: Seek a storage solution that scales capacity and IOPS simultaneously. For example, APEX automatically ramps up performance with each new storage node. Even if you pick another provider, make sure you won’t break the bank just because your app suddenly goes viral.
3. Data Mobility: The Slow Shuffle
Ideally, data would move seamlessly between on-prem, and clouds. In reality, migrations can be cumbersome, especially when snapshot-based replication is involved.
Potential Fix: Look for asynchronous replication tools that simplify transfers. APEX uses PowerFlex’s Software Data Replicator (SDR), but the key takeaway is to avoid multi-step, error-prone processes. Any tool that streamlines these migrations is worth serious consideration.
4. When an AZ Goes Dark
Occasional downtime does happen, even to the biggest cloud providers. If an entire Availability Zone (AZ) fails, your data could go dark with it.
Potential Fix: Solutions that aim for six-nines (99.9999%) availability often stretch data across multiple AZs, this doesn’t ensure redundancy unless you lose the data centre … which is unlikely in today’s world. Whether it’s APEX or something else, design for high availability within a data centre from the start.
5. TCO: Bottom-Line Clarity
Beyond monthly costs is the total cost of ownership (TCO), which also includes administrative overhead, downtime impact, and training. The real MVP is the solution that provides easy management without blowing your budget.
Potential Fix: Evaluate how well a platform fits your existing toolset, and whether it automates routine tasks. The fewer manual interventions, the happier your team—and your bottom line—will be.
6. “Cloud or Not?” — The Data Sovereignty Twist
Sometimes, public cloud might not be a perfect match—especially if you need to have your data secure. The big American cloud providers still have hidden costs and compliance complexities that can keep you up at night while introducing a lack of keeping your data within you sovereign landscape.
Potential Fix: If you want the best of cloud without worrying about data flying halfway around the globe, consider working with a local Cloud Service Provider. For instance, Datacom partners with Dell to provide regional cloud solutions that deliver elasticity and flexible pricing—minus the compliance guesswork. Keeping your data on Kiwi soil means it’s safer, easier to manage, and likely meets local data sovereignty requirements more comfortably.
Final Thoughts
While it’s tempting to dismiss Aussie feedback (especially when we pride ourselves on our rugby supremacy), the lessons from their longer experience with public cloud are invaluable. Cloud adoption has enormous perks—speed, scale, flexibility—but comes with potential stumbles around cost, performance, management, and data sovereignty. Whether you opt for Dell APEX Block Storage for Public Cloud, a competing platform, or go with local providers like Datacom, the goal remains the same: find a strategy that balances finances, control, and availability. Then, even if you can’t top the All Blacks in rugby, at least your cloud game will be on point.
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