McKinsey · Tech Consulting · Hard · 35-45 min

Global Bank Considering Cloud Repatriation

Last updated 2026-07-29

What is this case about?

A global bank — $400M annual public-cloud spend, growing 35% year-on-year — has a board mandate to repatriate 40% of workloads to on-prem within three years. The CTO is sceptical. The CFO is enthusiastic. The mandate was sparked by one expensive AI training run that broke through the budget envelope. You are advising the CTO on how to position a counter-proposal that takes the board's concern seriously without committing to an arbitrary 40%.

Where strong candidates start

  • Stress-test the board's premise — is 40% a value question or a cost-control question, and is repatriation actually the answer to either
  • Segment the $400M spend by workload class — steady-state, variable, strategic, AI training — before deciding what moves

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