Aptum

In the last couple of weeks, I hosted a pair of executive dinners in Toronto and Montreal with Aptum. The topic couldn't be more timely—or more provocative: the enshittification of the modern tech stack. If you haven't heard the term, it's a pattern of rent-taking where a platform offers something incredible; then locks you in; and finally, once you're trapped, extracts onerous payments from you. It views customers as hostages. Some examples: - Blockbuster exacting punitive late fees. - Uber paying drivers less and less, and setting sky-high surge pricing. - Hyperscalers adding creeping costs and new fees, knowing companies can't move their workloads. - Frontier AI firms offering tokens at a massive discount, then quietly changing their pricing and terms. This stuff is often subtle. Big cloud providers quietly extended their depreciation periods on aging server hardware without passing the savings on to clients. With banks and airlines, you can't talk to a human any more, just a chatbot trained to deny you the recourse you deserve. In AI, Gemini Flash 3.5 doesn't work in a command line, which means you're steered towards Google's Antigravity platform. Spotify convinced us to stop buying CDs, but now you don't own your music collection and you're a customer for life. And streaming video companies like Disney and Prime now trickle out a show a week, show ads, and find more ways to keep you hooked and monetize you. If you have a vague sense that the world is less and less fair, and that more and more of your money goes to things you love less and less, you've experienced enshittification. In IT, executives are waking up: In a recent survey, more than 80% of CIOs are planning to migrate some of their workloads to on-premise or third-party hosting platforms that actually pick up the phone and control their spiraling compute costs. This is what came across loud and clear across both events. Executives have had enough, and they're looking for the exits. Everyone had a story to tell, and the frustration was palpable. Here's to more open, honest, small-group conversations about where tech is heading and what enterprises can do about it.

We're excited to join partner Avega on June 17th for an evening of conversation around the future of infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, and business resilience. Aptum’s Ryan Walsh and Rob Station will be sharing perspectives on how organizations are navigating modernization, hybrid cloud, and increasingly complex infrastructure decisions in today’s market. Looking forward to connecting with technology leaders across the Vancouver community, register down below to secure your spot 👇 #HybridCloud #ITInfrastructure #CloudStrategy #CanadianTech

The Miami colocation market has quietly gotten a lot harder to navigate. Several downtown facilities are at or near capacity. Others have shifted focus to large wholesale contracts, which sounds like a business decision until you're a mid-market company that just got pushed to the back of the line. Smaller retail colo buyers are feeling it most. If you've been shopping for space in South Florida recently, you've probably already hit a wall or two. We've been watching this play out, and it's part of why we invested in upgrading our Miami facility. We increased power capacity to up to 10kW per rack, added carrier-neutral connectivity with five on-net providers, and kept our managed services model intact (because handing someone a cage and a key has never really been our style). Space is available now. So is a straightforward conversation about what you actually need. Details and pricing here: https://lnkd.in/gpfa5KKb #MiamiDataCenter #HybridCloud

Today marks an important new chapter for Aptum. After more than three years leading Aptum, Ian Rae is stepping down as CEO following a long and successful career in this industry. Under Ian's leadership, Aptum strengthened its customer focus, expanded its hybrid cloud capabilities, and built the operational and financial foundation the business stands on today. We're grateful for his contribution and the role he played in positioning Aptum for what comes next. Thank you, Ian. We're pleased to welcome Jeremy Pease as Aptum's new Chief Executive Officer. Jeremy brings deep experience leading data centre and cloud infrastructure businesses, with a strong track record in operational excellence, growth, and customer-focused leadership. “I am thrilled to rejoin the Aptum team as the company is experiencing significant momentum within the business. At a time when technology services are becoming highly transactional, we at Aptum are fully committed to being there to support and engage our customers throughout their cloud journey,” said Pease. We're also pleased to announce three promotions from within the leadership team: Sarah Jessika Blanchard, Chief Financial Officer Adam Nelson, Chief Operations Officer Marc-Alexandre Forget, Chief Revenue Officer Sarah, Adam, and Marc-Alex have each been integral to Aptum's progress and bring the operational depth, financial discipline, and commercial strength this next phase demands. Together, this team is focused on what matters most: delivering for our customers, supporting our partners, and continuing to execute on Aptum's hybrid cloud strategy. Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/g_W7ERV5

Last week we brought together a small group of technology leaders for a private executive dinner in the heart of Toronto. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation led by best-selling author Alistair Croll about what’s actually happening inside cloud environments today. A few themes came up consistently throughout the evening: • Cloud costs continuing to exceed expectations (69% of enterprises went over budget last year) • Growing architectural complexity across environments • More teams rethinking “default” cloud-first strategies (86% of CIOs are planning to repatriate at least some of their workloads) • Increased pressure at the executive level to regain control What stood out most was the openness in the room- leaders comparing notes, challenging assumptions, and sharing how they’re navigating these shifts in real time. Thank you to everyone who joined us. We’re continuing the conversation in Montreal this week. If this is something you’re currently thinking through, connect with Marc-Alexandre Forget or Ryan Walsh to join a future discussion. For a deeper look at what we covered, here’s the paper that helped shape the evening: https://lnkd.in/gaya4rqa #AptumInAction #CloudStrategy #HybridCloud #ITLeadership

We’re excited to be at Nexus 2026 today surrounded by leaders talking about what it actually takes to turn AI ambition into real business outcomes. But let’s be honest. Before AI can deliver value, teams need to get their cloud costs and complexity under control. Wake up with a cloud hangover? ☁️🥴 Too much spend. Too much complexity. Not enough clarity on what should stay, move, or change. That’s exactly what we’re talking about today. Come find David Blankinship and Rob Station at the sponsor marketplace- we’re handing out Cloud Hangover Kits and having real conversations about how to get control back (without ripping everything out). Stop by, say hi, and let’s compare notes 👋 Cloud Communications Group #NexusAISummit #AptumInAction #DigitalTransformation #HybridCloud

We’re excited to announce the next installment of The Channel Chat 🎙️ This month, Channel Chief Vicki Patten is joined by Chad Muckenfuss, Vice President of Cloud at Telarus, for a candid conversation on what’s really happening in mid-market hybrid cloud, and how TAs can win big. Together, they'll unpack: • What IT leaders are actually stressed about right now (rising cloud bills, performance issues, vendor lock-in) • Why public cloud isn’t always delivering what customers expected • How AI and data growth are changing infrastructure decisions • The evolving role of MSPs (and what customers really want today) • Practical questions TAs can ask to uncover and monetize opportunities 📅 February 24th @ 12pm ET RSVP below, invite a colleague, and join us live. See you there!

Nearly half of IT leaders (45%) say cloud modernization is a top priority for improving scalability, security, and cost management in 2026. Mid-market teams are rethinking: • where workloads actually belong • how to balance cost vs. performance • when hybrid makes more sense than all-in public cloud Next week, Global Channel Chief Vicki Patten sits down with Telarus VP of Cloud Practice Chad Muckenfuss to talk about what mid-market customers are really asking for and how Trusted Advisors can help lead the conversation. Bring your questions & join us live 👇 https://lnkd.in/gAutSKnh

We’re excited to welcome Ryan Walsh as our newest Strategic Sales Executive, focused on driving new logo growth across Canada.   Ryan brings a strong passion for helping organizations build smarter, more resilient IT environments. We’re thrilled to have him on board and can’t wait to see the impact he makes with customers and partners.   👉 Looking to explore infrastructure modernization or hybrid cloud strategy? Connect with Ryan directly and start the conversation.   #WelcomeToTheTeam #AptumInAction