There are many.
Over time, my work expanded from system-level engineering to large-scale enterprise architecture. Infrastructure strategy became my focus, especially at the intersection of cloud transformation, operational complexity, and financial governance. This is where I found the most challenging and rewarding work – helping companies make architecture decisions that actually fit their goals and constraints.
Alongside your writing, you also consult with companies navigating complex IT decisions. What kinds of challenges do clients most often bring to you, and how does your background shape the way you advise them?
You have guided organizations through both cloud migrations and cloud exits. What first inspired your interest in working with technology and shaping infrastructure strategies?
So again, it depends on context. Map your requirements, weigh the risks, and base your decision on real limitations, not assumptions.
By Randy Ferguson
Hybrid and multi-cloud strategies are gaining traction as middle ground solutions. Do you see this as a transitional step for most organizations, or a long-term operating model?
CloudTweaks recently had the opportunity to interview Oleksiy Pototskyy, Founder of Nubes Consulting. With over 20 years of experience leading complex IT projects across industries such as finance, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, Oleksiy has worked with both enterprise executives and startup founders to drive smarter technology decisions and guide change management initiatives. Combining deep technical expertise with business acumen, and holding advanced specializations in AI, cloud architecture, cybersecurity, and finance, he brings a broad, cross-industry perspective to helping organizations implement the best-fit solutions for their needs.
Training or hiring must start early, not after the project is complete. Even something simple like software licensing requires new procurement skills in cloud environments.
For example, I worked with a global CTO who chose cloud despite higher costs because they wanted to shut down their internal DC operations. They believed focusing on core business would drive more value than trying to manage infrastructure, and they were right.
Many executives still feel pressure to follow cloud adoption trends even when it may not be the best fit. How do you encourage leaders to focus on context-driven decisions instead of industry momentum?
My deeper journey into this field began when I was invited to join a large enterprise transformation program. The company was shifting from a monolithic Cobol system to a set of modern, decoupled services. At first, I was responsible for the infrastructure design of just one part of the project. But as the work expanded, I took on more responsibility, eventually helping define the broader transformation strategy under direct supervision of the CTO.
The reality is somewhere in the middle. Cloud is not magic. ROI depends on how well you manage costs, staff, architecture, and risk – in both directions.
This is great topic for a few separate articles, but in short, we’ll see continued growth of cloud and multi-cloud solutions. Hybrid models will remain important but may shrink in proportion. We’re also seeing new types of data centers, even underwater or in space.
Financials are just one side of the story. Business goals come first.
Security and compliance come first. If regulations require a specific encryption method or physical residency, those are non-negotiable. You must comply, even if it costs more.
This is our new reality. Hybrid and multi-cloud models let you optimize cost, avoid vendor lock-in, and choose the best services for each use case.
In one large migration I led, we moved workloads from data centers to five different clouds, and kept some on-premise. AWS offered the best discounts, Azure was better for Microsoft services, Oracle Cloud handled heavy databases, and on-prem stayed for compliance reasons. Some workloads were close to retirement and weren’t worth migrating.
Security and compliance come up frequently as drivers of repatriation. From your perspective, how should companies weigh cost savings against the need for control in these areas?
One of my first questions is always – What’s the business driver behind this transformation? Technology is just a tool. Business context is everything.
Cloud providers are also collaborating more now. Integration is easier, and latency is improving. This makes hybrid models even more sustainable in the long term.
You highlight staffing models as a critical factor. Can you share an example of how organizational structure can make or break the success of either a cloud-first or cloud-exit approach?
Cloud-native services will evolve. Just like we moved from low-level CPU-specific code to high-level logic and now ML-powered workflows, we’ll keep moving up the abstraction ladder. In five years, I believe we’ll interact with infrastructure in simpler, more intelligent ways, focusing less on setup and more on behavior.
Yes, in one case, a company had a mix of three data centers and one cloud platform. Most of the team had no real cloud experience. They were running everything manually with legacy Ansible scripts and monitoring through Zabbix. It worked, technically, but was slow, costly, and far from scalable.
Startups often think cloud will solve all their problems, especially when they get free credits. I’ve seen companies burn through 0k in credits quickly without any cost control, using every possible cloud-native service. Once the credits run out, they’re stuck with an expensive, overengineered setup, and no budget to maintain it.
When starting a migration or exit, companies must assess whether their people are ready. Do they have the skills for the new environment? Who will maintain and evolve the system after the transition?
You emphasize that cloud economics aren’t just about monthly bills. What are some of the hidden costs that decision makers consistently underestimate?
I don’t believe in “one-size-fits-all” solutions. I start by understanding the business goals and then present real-world examples of what works, and what doesn’t, for similar companies.
Recently, clients have asked for help with Cloud migration approaches, legacy technologies modernization that blocks grow and expansion to new markets, compliance requirements (HIPAA, SOC 2, DORA), or building a Cloud Center of Excellence. My background helps here – I combine deep technical knowledge with a business mindset. I’ve been on both sides – as a CxO in startups and as an advisor working with enterprise stakeholders. That mix of knowledge and skills helps me to help here.
In your recent article Cloud Exit Economics, you share insights from years of leading IT transformations both into the cloud and back out of it. What first sparked your interest in technology and infrastructure strategy?
Hidden costs often come from underestimating the effort to prepare staff, train teams, cover compliance and security, or handle parallel infrastructure during migration. Every company has unique tech debt and blind spots. That’s why vendor guidance often doesn’t apply directly. Each landscape is different, and cost modeling must reflect that.
But cloud capabilities have evolved. Today, many providers offer compliance features that satisfy strict requirements, including data residency, encryption, and PII management. Still, there are exceptions. I’ve seen banks that couldn’t use AWS KMS due to some specific hardware-level encryption needs.
The challenges are different – every company has different strengths, weaknesses, and constraints. That’s usually why they reach out somebody who has already been through these kinds of problems, and solved them successfully.
In one case, a solution had major technical drawbacks but aligned perfectly with one key business goal. We moved forward and made it successful despite the risks. That’s what real decision-making looks like. Trade-offs are normal. My role is to help make those trade-offs visible and manageable.
On the other hand, some enterprises believe old-school infrastructure always gives them more control. But that’s not always true either, especially when resources are scarce or hardware like GPUs is hard to procure.
It started simply – my school hobby became my profession. I began as a system administrator and developer, then focused on databases, and later managed physical infrastructure and data centers. As cloud technologies emerged, I naturally moved into cloud and hybrid models, exploring DevOps approaches long before the term became popular.
That experience showed me how infrastructure choices affect everything – from costs and compliance to team structure and business flexibility. It also confirmed how important it is to look at infrastructure decisions from both technical and financial standpoints. Since then, I’ve continued to lead and advise on similar transformations across industries and regions.
Startups often find cloud services cost-effective, while large enterprises sometimes reach a tipping point where repatriation makes sense. What are the biggest misconceptions each group tends to have about cloud ROI?
Looking ahead, how do you see the balance between cloud, on-premise, and hybrid models evolving over the next five to ten years, and what central challenges will shape those decisions?
