In 2025, CIOs across the Asia Pacific must optimise the delivery of cloud value amidst a $250 billion market surge driven by advancements in AI and regulatory demands. With nearly 90% of enterprises adopting multi-cloud strategies, finding the right balance between hybrid cloud innovation and stringent data privacy laws is crucial.
Addressing these challenges requires strategic focus on security, compliance, workforce capabilities, and data-driven decision-making to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.
Trending in Asia
The dominant trend is the shift towards multi-cloud and hybrid cloud architectures. Organisations rarely rely solely on public cloud; instead, they blend public and private clouds to balance innovation, cost, security, and data sovereignty.
As Brett Wheeldon, vice president of Solutions Consulting at SAP Concur, explains, "Orchestration is the absolute key; it is the glue that creates that integration."
He highlights the growing demand for a suite-based approach, where integrated bundles of business processes and technology focus on specific outcomes such as finance management and customer experience.
Wheeldon further elaborates: "Customers want far more aggregated views. A CIO wants to deliver to a CFO what the green picture looks like, and sustainability is one example."
This reflects a broader desire among organisations to consolidate disparate data sources into cohesive insights.
Challenges and risks
Security and compliance: As cyber threats escalate, the need for collaboration between CIOs and CISOs becomes increasingly critical. Wheeldon asserts, "Security can make or break a company," emphasising that a zero-trust security model is essential.
He advises organisations to "work closely with your cloud provider and press them for value," ensuring that security measures align with business goals.
Data privacy and sovereignty: The Asia Pacific region's fragmented regulatory environment necessitates a nuanced approach to data management. Wheeldon notes, "Instead of thinking in terms of geographies, think in terms of management, practices, and policies."
This perspective allows organisations to comply with local laws while recognising the complexities of global data flows.
Talent shortage and skills development: The shortage of skilled cloud and AI professionals remains a significant hurdle. Wheeldon highlights the importance of partnerships, stating, "Engaging with your partners and extending your capabilities using those partners is critical."
He points to SAP's collaborations, such as with Databricks, as examples of how organisations can bolster their talent pool.
Complexity of multi-cloud environments: Managing hybrid and multi-cloud environments introduces architectural and operational complexity. Wheeldon emphasises the need for a strong data management framework: "Understanding what workloads and data sovereignty is critical... making sure you have a strong data management framework that you can use to guide architects.
Influence of AI and Automation
AI is both a driver and a disruptor in cloud adoption. It enables enhanced analytics, automation, and operational efficiency, but also introduces new cybersecurity risks. Enterprises are leveraging AI-powered orchestration layers above integrated cloud suites to generate business value through improved insights and automation.
Wheeldon states, "If you have good guidelines, then you can pass those to your suppliers and ensure accountability." He advocates for focusing on practical AI applications that deliver tangible productivity gains.
Insights from Brett Wheeldon, SAP Concur
Wheeldon emphasises the role of orchestration in enabling seamless operational excellence across enterprises. He explains:
"As we see AI and agentic layers above those, you can take advantage of the investment of integration to generate that excellence, and when you do that, you're driving business value through the aggregation, through the insight, that you can get through that integration." Brett Wheeldon
On hybrid cloud architecture, he notes that organisations often need to scale compute power on demand, particularly during peak times, while keeping core data on-premises. "They may want some of their core data to remain on-premises and protected by themselves," he says.
Regarding governance and compliance, Wheeldon suggests that organisations should focus on management practices over strict geographical restrictions.
"Instead of thinking in terms of geographies, think in terms of management, practices, and policies... It's up to the cloud provider to be able to meet those and advise on them too." Brett Wheeldon
Finally, on sustainability, he points to the necessity of aggregated data platforms to provide actionable insights: "Without that aggregated visibility, it's back to data lakes and a bunch of data scientists aggregating and pulling information together. Ultimately, that's expensive and slow."
What now?
For enterprises in the Asia Pacific, particularly in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, the race to extract value from cloud investments in 2025-2026 hinges on mastering multi-cloud orchestration, ensuring robust security and compliance, overcoming talent shortages through partnerships, and leveraging AI for operational insights and sustainability goals.
Wheeldon advises, "Make sure that you're making value-based decisions." CIOs, CISOs, CFOs, and business leaders must collaborate strategically with cloud providers to align technology deployments with business outcomes and regulatory realities.
Click on the PodChats player to hear Wheeldon's take on optimising cloud for value delivery.
How can integrated cloud solutions be designed to deliver seamless end-to-end operational excellence across enterprises?
How can cloud automation be leveraged to enhance employee productivity and improve user experience?
What hybrid cloud architecture best balances enterprises' needs for innovation, data sovereignty, security, and cost optimisation?
What strategies can ensure secure and compliant migration and management of workloads across multi-cloud and edge environments?
How should CIOs and CISOs address growing cybersecurity risks (e.g., AI-driven threats) in cloud/edge deployments?
What governance frameworks are needed to comply with evolving data privacy regulations across APAC jurisdictions?
How can cloud data platforms be optimised to provide actionable insights that support sustainability and reduce carbon footprint?
How can we develop cloud and AI skills internally or through partnerships to accelerate the delivery of cloud value?
What measures ensure workload portability/flexibility to avoid vendor lock-in while maintaining performance?
What strategy integrates AI capabilities within cloud infrastructure to drive innovation while maintaining security and compliance?
Our topic is Optimising the cloud for value delivery. What is your final advice for enterprises as they try to leverage technologies like AI and other solutions to optimise cloud for the best value delivery possible?
Allan is Group Editor-in-Chief for CXOCIETY writing for FutureIoT, FutureCIO and FutureCFO. He supports content marketing engagements for CXOCIETY clients, as well as moderates senior-level discussions and speaks at events.
Previous Roles
He served as Group Editor-in-Chief for Questex Asia concurrent to the Regional Content and Strategy Director role.
He was the Director of Technology Practice at Hill+Knowlton in Hong Kong and Director of Client Services at EBA Communications.
He also served as Marketing Director for Asia at Hitachi Data Systems and served as Country Sales Manager for HDS’ Philippines. Other sales roles include Encore Computer and First International Computer.
He was a Senior Industry Analyst at Dataquest (Gartner Group) covering IT Professional Services for Asia-Pacific.
He moved to Hong Kong as a Network Specialist and later MIS Manager at Imagineering/Tech Pacific.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering degree and is a certified PICK programmer.
