I was excited to speak at a regional cloud computing summit hosted by one of the major cloud providers. My presentation focused on the many opportunities of public cloud and the essential need for risk management. Just before the event, I received an email stating that three of my slides, which discussed cloud outages and the risks of over-reliance on providers, had to be removed. Mentioning failures didn’t align with the host’s narrative of reliability.
Frustrated but not surprised, I removed the slides. During my presentation, I highlighted the importance of preparing for outages, disruptions, and other potential risks. I shared real-life incidents, such as major outages at top providers, that demonstrated how businesses unprepared for third-party failures can face significant financial, operational, and reputational damage. The audience’s response was mixed. Some nodded, clearly understanding the risks. Others, including event organizers at the back, appeared uneasy. Unsurprisingly, I haven’t been invited again.
Here’s the truth: Managing risk isn’t about doubting the effectiveness of cloud providers—it’s about ensuring resilience when the unexpected happens. If sharing that message makes people uncomfortable, I know I’m doing my job.
