Dell Technologies study highlights surge in private cloud modernisation across Asia Pacific

A new study commissioned by Dell Technologies has underscored a strong shift among enterprises in Asia Pacific toward private cloud modernisation, as organisations seek greater agility, scalability, and control over their IT environments. The findings, published in an IDC InfoBrief, highlight how businesses across the region are rethinking their cloud strategies to support evolving digital demands.

According to the report, nearly 46% of organisations in Asia Pacific have identified cloud migration as their primary approach to modernising infrastructure. In India, enterprises are increasingly adopting hybrid cloud models to balance performance, flexibility, and data control. However, the study indicates that less than half have fully implemented mature hybrid cloud environments, pointing to a significant opportunity for growth as companies prepare for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads and sustainability goals.

Shift towards multi-hybrid cloud strategies

The research reveals a growing departure from rigid, single-provider cloud approaches, with enterprises embracing multi-hybrid cloud architectures. These models allow organisations to distribute workloads across environments, improving operational efficiency and financial control.

In India, infrastructure priorities are increasingly influenced by sustainability initiatives, data modernisation for AI readiness, and the need to accelerate innovation. Notably, the study highlights a strong trend toward workload repatriation, with 96% of Indian organisations planning to move some workloads back from public cloud environments. This shift is largely driven by concerns around cybersecurity, performance optimisation, and infrastructure efficiency.

The report also emphasises the importance of disaggregated infrastructure, enabling businesses to scale compute, storage, and networking resources independently. This approach helps reduce complexity, avoid vendor lock-in, and support faster innovation cycles.

AI adoption driving infrastructure transformation

As enterprises accelerate AI adoption, the demand for high-performance and scalable infrastructure is rising sharply. The study notes that hybrid and multi-hybrid cloud environments are emerging as the preferred foundation for deploying AI-driven applications, offering the flexibility required to manage data-intensive workloads securely and efficiently.

However, organisations continue to face challenges in their cloud journeys. Key concerns include integrating legacy systems, ensuring cybersecurity compliance, and managing increasingly complex multi-cloud environments. In India, security considerations remain the top factor influencing workload placement decisions.

The report also warns of rising technical debt across the region, which could hinder innovation if not addressed through proactive modernisation strategies.

Highlighting the broader industry shift, Venkat Sitaram, Senior Director & Country Head - Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies India, said, “Organizations are telling us that continuous modernization isn’t just an IT directive — it’s a business necessity. With the rise of multi-hybrid cloud and new demands from AI, companies want the freedom to choose, evolve, and innovate, backed by flexible, open architectures.”

The findings reinforce the growing importance of modern, adaptable IT infrastructure as organisations across Asia Pacific position themselves for long-term digital transformation and competitive advantage.