Multicloud Rises in the East

The Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region is leading in the early adoption of multicloud, and is on a similar trajectory in terms of overall technology adoption as the U.S. and parts of Europe — at least that's the way it appears from the outside.

But there's always more to it than meets the eye. That's why we invited Antoine Acklin, Head of Architecture & Professional Services for the APJ region at Rackspace Technology, to the Cloud Talk podcast. Acklin has spent most of his life traveling the world and building consulting organizations. Now, he’s responsible for helping Rackspace Technology customers from Malaysia to Hawaii build their cloud solutions. As he approaches his ninth year working outside of the U.S., Acklin gives us the inside scoop on cloud adoption in the APJ region and provides advice on how to conduct business in that part of the world.

Tune in to the latest episode of Cloud Talk as Acklin and Rackspace Technology CTO Jeff DeVerter explore:

• The importance of trust and relationships in the APJ region
• New barriers to traditional ways of doing business
• APJ from a technology adoption curve perspective
• The rise of multicloud in the region
• Innovation in gaming
• How COVID-19 has drastically accelerated cloud adoption in APJ

Acklin also shares his thoughts on the importance of building trust and relationships when conducting business in the APJ region. “People don't buy products. They buy assurances from people, and that's no more true than in this part of the world,” Acklin says. “A face-to-face relationship is even more important here than in the west.”

DeVerter acknowledges the value in those types of interactions in the context of communication in general. “I would appreciate [face-to-face relationships] as this world lacks that that one-to-one communication,” he says.

Acklin points out that the pandemic has disrupted many of the traditions associated with face-to-face business conversations. “We're having to change our tact and spend more time cultivating relationships virtually,’ he says. “I do a lot of one-on-one calls with executive stakeholders and get to know them personally. That's another way of forming that bond.”

Although the human element is so important in forming business relationships, when it comes to technology products and services, automation is spreading like wildfire. Acklin says, “Organizations in this part of the world really try to drive to take the human factor out. They want the human factor in design, but in implementation execution, it's all about software.”

Acklin adds that APJ companies are motivated to innovate ahead of the technology curve. "We don't mind getting a little bloody and having the early failures, because we know we'll have early successes as well,” he says.

What to do now? – There are a few days left for the next installment of the Solve Strategy Series. This time it's focused on how COVID-19 has cost-shifting IT priorities, demand against IT, and some of the strategies for dealing with the impact to cost governance. Watch the event here.