In the Clouds @ The Shard: Cloud Resilience, Cost Control and Risk in Focus ☁️
Clover hosted the first event for our series In the Clouds @ The Shard, an evening of focused dialogue exploring three of the most pressing challenges facing IT and digital leaders today: cloud resilience, cost control, and supplier risk. Set against the backdrop of London’s skyline, the event brought together industry experts, technology providers, and senior leaders for a candid conversation about navigating complexity in an increasingly cloud-dependent world.
The evening opened with a compelling question: what would happen if a critical platform such as AWS, Microsoft 365 or even the London internet backbone were to experience a prolonged outage? Far from hypothetical, this scenario framed the discussion around the real-world implications of digital dependence, and the urgent need for forward-looking resilience strategies.
Sam Woodcock from 11:11 Systems led with a pragmatic perspective on resilience. Rather than focusing on documentation alone, their session advocated for a layered, operational approach; one that integrates threat detection, incident response, and business continuity into the fabric of the organisation. Their key message was clear: resilience must be designed into systems and culture from the outset, not retrofitted in response to disruption.
Following this, Marc Pare from Aptum offered a strategic view of cloud as a delivery model rather than a fixed destination. Their presentation addressed the growing risks of hyperscaler dependency, the increasing traction behind hybrid and repatriated workloads, and the need for greater balance between flexibility, compliance, and control. In an era of heightened regulatory scrutiny, cloud sovereignty and architectural agility are emerging as critical design principles.
The evening’s panel discussion, moderated by BEC’s Trevor Hunt, brought valuable insights from across the financial services sector. Panelists David Flashman (Vida Bank), Ken Gaul (FNZ), and Jayson Baard (MUFG) shared their experiences managing resilience at scale within highly regulated environments. Key themes included cloud concentration risk, cost transparency, and the challenge of aligning operational strategy with evolving regulatory expectations. The discussion highlighted the nuanced, often complex, decisions that leaders must make to ensure technology resilience without compromising innovation.
Closing the formal agenda, Mark Boost from Civo delivered a thought-provoking statement: “The Cloud is Broken.” Their presentation challenged conventional thinking on cloud economics, architectural complexity, and trust, particularly in the context of AI. With large-scale AI workloads increasingly hosted on global hyperscalers, Civo advocated for a shift towards national and organisational sovereignty. Their call to action was clear: ensure that AI and cloud infrastructure are governed by transparent, open standards within the UK’s legal and regulatory frameworks.
To thank attendees for contributing to the pre-event survey, Clover hosted a light-hearted spin-the-wheel prize draw. One lucky member took home an iPad Air, while others were awarded Clover Points, redeemable across our platform. It was a small gesture to celebrate the spirit of shared insight and participation that drives our community.
The evening concluded with informal networking, where many of the most candid conversations took place. These off-stage discussions often provide some of the most valuable perspectives, allowing peers to reflect honestly on shared challenges and exchange practical experiences in a relaxed setting.
In the Clouds @ The Shard captures what Clover strives to deliver: a platform for honest, peer-led conversation, actionable insight, and strategic clarity, free from sales agendas or surface-level content. We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who joined us, and we look forward to continuing these critical conversations within our specialist groups, across the Clover platform, and at our future in-person gatherings.
