Repatriating workloads: What IT leaders need to know to get it right

Workloads are moving back on-premises, and not in small numbers.

In a recent survey by OpenText in partnership with Foundry, which gathered insights from over 200 global IT decision-makers, two-thirds of enterprise decision-makers (67%) have already repatriated workloads from public cloud. 

For most organizations, it’s not about “abandoning” cloud, but right-sizing their environment, keeping the benefits of cloud where it works best while reclaiming workloads that are more cost-effective, compliant, or performant elsewhere.

Just as important: IT leaders in the study identified the key considerations for making cloud repatriation successful. From ensuring business continuity and controlling costs to bridging skill gaps and maintaining cloud-native benefits, these insights highlight where organizations should focus their planning efforts to reduce risk and build long-term value.

5 key considerations for IT leaders before repatriating workloads—and how to succeed 

According to the survey, the most common consideration when planning repatriation is maintaining business continuity during migration—a priority for 75% of respondents.

The risk of downtime, customer disruption, and operational stalls is enough to stall projects before they start. 

Rather than seeing these as roadblocks, they’re critical success factors. Addressing them early allows IT leaders to create a repatriation plan that protects continuity, manages cost, and equips teams for long-term success.

Here are five key considerations and practical tips to help you repatriate with confidence:

Security and compliance concerns (54%) 

Ensuring data protection and meeting regulatory requirements during migration is complex, especially when workloads span jurisdictions—and it’s one of the leading reasons enterprises are moving workloads off the public cloud.

Tips:

• Conduct a pre-migration compliance audit to map every workload against applicable regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, etc.).
• Use encryption in transit and at rest from day one, and engage a third-party security assessor to validate controls post-migration. This way, compliance isn’t just a check-box after the move—it’s embedded into the migration plan. 

Integration issues (48%) 

Repatriated workloads must still communicate with cloud-based services and on-prem systems, often using different protocols and APIs. 

Tips: 

• Consider a hybrid integration layer if you’re repatriating workloads in stages, need public cloud and on-prem systems to talk during migration, want to avoid downtime, or have complex integrations with SaaS or other services. 
• Test critical workflows in a staging environment to identify and resolve incompatibilities before production cutover. 

Migration complexity (44%) 

Large datasets, mission-critical applications, and limited maintenance windows increase the risk of downtime. 

Tips: 

• Break migrations into smaller, phased waves based on workload criticality and interdependencies. 
• Use replication tools that allow for incremental syncs so final cutover involves minimal downtime. 
• Where possible, migrate non-production environments first to iron out process flaws. 

Skill gaps and resource constraints (38%) 

Nearly 4 in 10 IT leaders (38%) cite lack of in-house expertise as a top barrier to repatriation, but the issue often goes beyond skills. Without strong change management, teams resist new workflows, slowing adoption. Clear communication of business drivers and cross-training initiatives can ease the transition and build buy-in. 

Tips: 

• Run targeted training for in-house teams months before migration, focusing on the specific tools and architectures they’ll manage. 
• Supplement internal staff with short-term contractors or managed services to cover expertise gaps, but build long-term resilience by pairing them with internal staff in joint teams. This way, external experts accelerate delivery while transferring knowledge, so when the engagement ends, your in-house team is fully equipped to own and scale the solution. 

Loss of cloud-native capabilities (37%) 

Moving workloads off public cloud can mean losing access to managed AI/ML services, autoscaling, and other platform-native benefits. 

Tips: 

• Identify which capabilities are mission-critical and replicate them using on-prem equivalents. For example, open-source AI frameworks or Kubernetes-based autoscaling. 
• Where replication isn’t feasible, maintain a hybrid footprint to keep those workloads in the public cloud. 

Embracing a balanced cloud repatriation strategy for mission-critical workloads 

With 87% of organizations planning repatriation within two years, the trend is clear: enterprises are seeking control, compliance, and cost optimization. 

The takeaway: a successful cloud repatriation strategy is not just a migration plan, it’s a business transformation initiative. Organizations that address these barriers head-on will move faster, reduce risk, and realize the full value of a hybrid or on-prem-first approach.