Drei (Three) Austria

Building a Cloud Platform for Growth and New Business Models

Executive Impact

Hybrid cloud strategy established

Red Hat selected as strategic private cloud partner

Enterprise private cloud built on Red Hat OpenStack and Ceph

Red Hat Certified Cloud Service Provider (CCSP)

Enterprise private cloud successfully implemented and operationalized

Internal cloud capabilities established

Dedicated cloud team developed and mentored

New cloud-based business models designed

Business cases demonstrating €30–52 million profit potential from €2–3 million investment

Outcome

Enterprise hybrid cloud strategy successfully implemented

Private cloud platform established and continues to support large-scale analytics workloads

Strategic dependence on proprietary cloud providers reduced

Internal cloud expertise developed

Cloud platform continues to support large-scale analytics workloads

Multiple commercial service models identified and validated

Significant growth opportunities demonstrated beyond traditional telecommunications services

Executive decision-making enabled through quantified growth scenarios and investment models

Executive Summary

As cloud technologies became increasingly relevant, executive leadership sought to define a long-term cloud strategy capable of supporting both operational requirements and future growth ambitions.

The objective extended beyond infrastructure modernization.

The organization wanted to determine whether cloud capabilities could become the foundation for entirely new business opportunities.

Situation

Growing enterprise demand for cloud services

Need for scalable infrastructure capabilities

Increasing concerns regarding vendor lock-in

Existing investments required long-term strategic direction

Pressure to identify growth opportunities beyond traditional telecommunications services

Situation

Growing enterprise demand for cloud services

Need for scalable infrastructure capabilities

Increasing concerns regarding vendor lock-in

Existing investments required long-term strategic direction

Pressure to identify growth opportunities beyond traditional telecommunications services

Situation

Challenge

Choosing a cloud platform was only a small part of the decision.

The larger question was whether cloud capabilities could become a strategic growth platform rather than another infrastructure investment.

The challenge was designing a cloud strategy capable of balancing flexibility, scalability, governance, commercial viability, and long-term independence.

At the same time, executive leadership needed to evaluate whether infrastructure investments could evolve into new revenue-generating platforms.

Challenge

Choosing a cloud platform was only a small part of the decision.

The larger question was whether cloud capabilities could become a strategic growth platform rather than another infrastructure investment.

The challenge was designing a cloud strategy capable of balancing flexibility, scalability, governance, commercial viability, and long-term independence.

At the same time, executive leadership needed to evaluate whether infrastructure investments could evolve into new revenue-generating platforms.

Challenge

Leadership Contribution

Conducted cloud market analysis and strategic assessment

Developed the organization's hybrid cloud strategy

Evaluated Microsoft, Red Hat, Canonical, IBM, and SUSE

Recommended an open-source-based private cloud approach

Selected Red Hat as strategic private cloud partner

Co-built enterprise cloud capabilities using Red Hat OpenStack and Ceph

Supported formation and development of the private cloud team

Mentored emerging cloud leadership capabilities

Developed cloud service pricing models

Designed scalable cloud-based service offerings

Built business cases for managed services and cloud solutions

Demonstrated substantial profitability potential from existing technology investments

Supported the development of a new cloud operating model and internal cloud organization

Key Takeaway

Technology investments create their greatest value when they become platforms for future growth rather than isolated infrastructure projects.

The cloud strategy was never about infrastructure. It was about creating a platform for future business.

© 2026 E-CON

Enterprise Transformation Executive focused on aligning business, technology, governance, and execution.
Based in Vienna, Austria - engaged across European and international transformation environments.

© 2026 E-CON

Enterprise Transformation Executive focused on aligning business, technology, governance, and execution.
Based in Vienna, Austria - engaged across European and international transformation environments.

© 2026 E-CON

Enterprise Transformation Executive focused on aligning business, technology, governance, and execution.
Based in Vienna, Austria - engaged across European and international transformation environments.