If your cloud environment feels more chaotic than strategic, you’re not alone. Many organizations now live with the consequences of early cloud decisions—fragmented platforms, spiraling costs, and workloads that no longer fit where they’ve landed.
The shift from cloud-first to cloud-smart is well underway. And as Chris Smith, VP of Cloud Solutions at Flexential, explains:
“Our customers don’t just want tools or theories—they want results based on what’s actually working for other organizations.”
That’s the focus of the From cloud chaos to cloud smart webinar, where Chris joins Aaron Kabler, Worldwide Director of Cloud Partner GTM at NetApp, to share strategies, customer examples, and a realistic roadmap for taking control of your hybrid environment.
Why “cloud smart” matters
In today’s hybrid multi-cloud world, flexibility and intentional design matter more than ever. A cloud-smart approach flips the script by focusing on application and workload needs—not just platform decisions.
As Aaron Kabler puts it:
“It’s more about workload and applications than it is about where this thing lives… This is an ‘and’ conversation, not an ‘or’ conversation.”
This mindset helps organizations avoid vendor lock-in, right-size resources, and keep options open for the future.
Recognizing cloud chaos
Signs you may be dealing with cloud chaos include:
- Over-provisioned resources driving up costs
- Tool fatigue and fragmented management platforms
- Inconsistent application performance
- Shadow IT bypassing governance
- Disaster recovery complexity
The good news? You don’t have to start over. The webinar highlights real-world strategies for cleaning up inefficiencies, simplifying hybrid infrastructure, and restoring agility.
The AI advantage
AI is emerging as a powerful ally in cloud decision-making. From analyzing workload performance to identifying security risks, AI can accelerate insights and improve decisions.
Aaron notes:
“AI is just going to help you make better decisions faster—taking more data, more information, and coming up with a better resolution.”
Customer Success in Action
One featured story involves a Florida-based customer who believed latency issues trapped them in their on-premises data center. An assessment revealed that only a few applications were latency-sensitive. The result?
- Latency-dependent workloads stayed on-premises.
- Other workloads moved to Flexential’s private cloud.
- Legacy IBM systems were colocated alongside Flexential infrastructure.
- NetApp SnapMirror replication added disaster recovery resilience.
The outcome: better performance, reduced risk, and access to low-latency on-ramps into AWS and Azure.
Your first step: Visibility
Both speakers emphasize that visibility is the starting point for any cloud-smart journey. Without a clear inventory and benchmark, it’s nearly impossible to make informed, workload-aware placement decisions.
That’s why Flexential offers the Fast-Track Cloud Assessment —a no-cost, expert-led evaluation that pinpoints opportunities for optimization.
Watch the full webinar on demand
This session is packed with practical advice, from rethinking workload placement to leveraging AI for smarter decisions. You’ll walk away knowing how to:
- Identify and fix inefficiencies in your hybrid environment
- Avoid vendor lock-in while maintaining flexibility
- Use integrated solutions from Flexential and NetApp to improve cost, performance, and control
- Take the next step toward a cloud-smart strategy
Watch the on-demand webinar now and take advantage of your complimentary Fast-Track Cloud Assessment to see where you stand—and where you can go next.
