Five pickleball strategies for a hybrid cloud win

The steady whack of the ball across the net forms a staccato rhythm during a close pickleball match. It’s the soundtrack for a sport that is both a pleasure and a challenge for Unisys’ Ivan Stride. And one that's taught him surprising lessons about managing hybrid cloud environments.

Ivan, a member of Team Australia for the 2025 Pickleball World Cup, spends his days as a hybrid cloud IT systems administrator for Unisys. His nights and weekends? On the pickleball court, he’s earned a gold medal for men’s singles at the 2025 Australian Pickleball Championships.

The Sydney resident started playing tennis at the age of 8 but switched to pickleball in his 40s. The racket sport uses a paddle instead of a racket, a lighter ball and smaller courts. Since beginning to compete in pickleball tournaments in 2023, he’s watched local club memberships, clubs, and venues explode across Australia.

“I think a big part of pickleball’s appeal is that it’s a quick sport to pick up. You can have no sporting background, but get a couple of players together and have fun playing,” Ivan says. “You don’t have to have a huge amount of tennis knowledge or racket-ball coordination. It’s such an addictive sport.”

Between tournament matches and system optimizations, Ivan began connecting the dots between his two worlds. Here are five lessons that translate from court to cloud.

#1: Advance your skills

Staying competitive on the pickleball court takes regular practice to advance your skills and consistency. Increased stamina and strength increase speed and agility, and minimize injury. Ivan’s rigorous practices helped him win enough pickleball matches to rank as #1 for Men's Pro Master 50+ in Australia.

“Pickleball is an easy sport to learn, but difficult to master,” Ivan says.

Hitting the ball carefully and consistently is more important than hitting it with power. A similar approach applies to hybrid cloud. Small, precise moves determine impact.

Hybrid cloud optimization requires the same dedication to continuous improvement. Instead of improving your backhand, you’re refining your use of cloud resources, aligning cloud costs with business growth, enhancing cybersecurity, and improving the user experience. Tools like AI and automation make cloud management easier, helping you master the complexities just as practice perfects your backhand.

#2: Embrace the agility

Pickleball requires quick reflexes because every match and opponent is unique. To win consistently, you must know when to lob a shot and when to smash the ball overhead. A well-matched game means covering significant ground on the court to send the ball over the net.

A volley is a shot you take before the ball bounces. Your ability to hit volleys can put you ahead of competitors. In November 2025, that skill helped Ivan and his partner win a bronze medal at the Florida Classic Open tournament, which attracted teams from 70 countries. In the same way, your ability to agilely respond to, or even predict, market changes can indicate your long-term business success.

Evolving requirements demand constant learning. Use AI-powered automation to identify issues early, optimize cloud performance, and gain a comprehensive view of your infrastructure. This approach leads to greater simplicity, security, and visibility, providing you with more control across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. 

#3: Use data to refine your game strategically

Pickleball is a technical game that requires strategy informed by your opponent knowledge and what you’ve learned during practices and competitions. Having a good strategy is important; look for opponents’ weaknesses that let you gain a competitive advantage. Before playing the US team, a teammate who has played many games in the US told Ivan that a competitor didn’t like backhand short balls. During their game, Ivan used that shot repeatedly, and his teammate was right. This competitor couldn’t return any of these shots, and Ivan won the match.

Optimizing your hybrid cloud environment takes a similar strategic mindset. Real-time analytics enable you to assess your environment accurately, while identifying weaknesses and observing competitor moves. This is even easier if your monitoring and response are consolidated in one data center management service, while AIOps can automate service delivery.

#4: Turn challenges into triumphs

With competitive pickleball, persistence and hard work help you overcome challenges. At the Florida Classic Open tournament, the Australian team drew the US, Italy, and Costa Rica for the first three games, according to Ivan.

“The first match we played was USA and the second match was Italy, so it was a bit unlucky that we had the two top teams in the whole competition in our pool,” he says. “We ended up beating the USA. The only match Team USA lost in the whole competition was the one they lost to us.”

Refusing to be intimidated and committing to success can yield significant wins in a hybrid cloud environment as well. And the way pickleball is more enjoyable if you embrace the social aspect, including club holiday parties and dinners, hybrid cloud initiatives are more satisfying as a team effort.

That means pulling in employees from across the organization and being open to partners that can guide your journey. Technology partners can act as hybrid cloud coaches, guiding you to maximize the benefits of your cloud investments.

Optimize your hybrid cloud investment

With the right strategies, your hybrid cloud can score you a victory. Discover how Unisys Hybrid Cloud Managed Services unifies management across deployment models, your data center, and cloud deployment models.