Cloud build-or-buy spectrum
Build or Buy — The Cloud Outsourcing Spectrum
rule of thumb: build what is your edge · buy the commodity rest
1 · BESPOKE
you write it, you run it
2 · SELF-HOSTED
packaged SW on your servers
3 · CLOUD / SaaS
consume through an API
control decreases this way
pick your trade-off
convenience grows this way
CLOUD WINS WHEN
· you cannot operate it yourself
· workload swings wildly
· speed beats control today
· team stays on higher problems
SELF-HOST WINS WHEN
· you have ops experience
· load is flat and predictable
· control or tuning is the edge
· e.g. high-frequency trading
FOUR CLOUD RISKS
No control
outages, slow debug
Lock-in
migration costs hurt
Geopolitics
sanctions cut access
Trust
vendor guards your data
ops golden line: capacity planning becomes financial planning