There was a time when choosing infrastructure in iGaming was straightforward. But, companies are no longer defaulting to what’s available they’re starting to look closely at how their infrastructure is built, what it actually costs, and more importantly, how it holds up under pressure.
We spoke to Rickard Vikström about why the next phase of growth is less about expansion, and more about control.
Rickard, it feels like the industry is rethinking its reliance on hyperscalers. Is that real, or just noise?
It’s real. This isn’t a sudden shift away from hyperscalers. It’s more of a gradual correction. They solved a problem early on: speed. If you needed to launch quickly, they made it possible. But now companies are more established. They’re not just trying to get to market, they’re trying to run efficiently within it. And that’s where the questions start.
What kind of questions are operators asking now that they weren’t asking before?
Much more practical ones. Not “can this scale?” we already know it can.
Now it’s:
- Why does this cost what it costs?
- What are we carrying that we’re not using?
- Where do we actually need flexibility?
There’s a clear shift from expansion thinking to operational thinking.
Cybersecurity is a growing concern across the industry. Where does disaster recovery fit into this shift?
Everyone is talking about cybersecurity right now, but disaster recovery is a big part of that conversation, even if it’s not always framed that way. Disaster recovery is about limiting risk. It creates a level of separation, even physical separation, that makes it harder for attackers to access critical systems. If you’re running a large operation on a single data centre, that’s a risk.
Are operators treating disaster recovery as a priority, or still as a backup plan?
It used to be something you thought about after the fact. Now, it’s something you design into your infrastructure from the start. In some markets, like New Jersey, having an immediate secondary environment is required by regulators. But even where it’s not mandated, more operators are recognising the risk of not having it. We’re seeing a shift toward more comprehensive strategies.
The increase in cyber threats has made that very clear. At the same time, regulators are becoming stricter, and operators are more aware of the real cost of downtime.
What does a strong disaster recovery strategy actually look like today?
It comes down to a few key things:
- Stress-testing your setup regularly
- Designing geo-redundant environments
- Making sure failover actually works and not just on paper
And importantly, doing all of that without adding unnecessary complexity. Because complexity is its own risk.
Where does that leave hyperscalers in the long term?
They’re built to be general. That works in many industries. But regulated gaming isn’t general. It’s restrictive and performance-sensitive in very specific ways. That creates space for more tailored providers like Internet Vikings.
What are operators valuing more today than they did a few years ago?
They want to understand their infrastructure.
That means:
- Knowing exactly what they’re paying for
- Having environments that match their workloads
- Being able to reach people who understand their setup
It’s less about having everything available and more about having the right things in place.
How important is being cloud-agnostic in this environment?
If you’re tied to one hyperscaler, their pricing, their tools, their way of doing things you lose flexibility.
Being cloud-agnostic means you can move. Adapt. Choose what works best. It also reduces risk. You’re not dependent on a single environment.
The post It’s Time to Call the Vikings appeared first on G3 Newswire.
There was a time when choosing infrastructure in iGaming was straightforward. But, companies are no longer defaulting to what’s available they’re starting to look closely at how their infrastructure is built, what it actually costs, and more importantly, how it holds up under pressure. We spoke to Rickard Vikström about why the next phase of…
The post It’s Time to Call the Vikings appeared first on G3 Newswire.