A multi-cloud strategy entails using various cloud infrastructure vendors to store a company’s data. This differs from a hybrid-cloud strategy, which uses a private and public cloud infrastructure. The company must use at least two public cloud services in a multi-cloud strategy.
Examples of public cloud infrastructures include Microsoft 365 and Azure, Dropbox, Amazon Web Services, and Google Workplace. Research shows that most companies prefer this method of storing data. By 2021, 90% of big companies had adopted this strategy, according to Statista, and 60% of small companies are doing the same.
How To Manage A Multi-Cloud System
If you want to get the maximum benefits from a multi-cloud strategy, it is imperative to monitor, protect and coordinate workloads uniformly throughout all platforms from one interface in the same way you would have done if you were operating them on one vendor.
Managing your workload gets more complicated and more challenging with the more cloud vendors you use. You may choose to manage every platform separately, but most IT departments don’t have enough resources and time. Many public cloud providers have varying APIs, SLAs, tools, and features for controlling cloud services. Multi-cloud management features should be created into your provider’s products and services, allowing you to get visibility throughout your cloud platforms, monitor usage and costs, apply uniform security rules and settings, and move workloads to make them readily available.
Reasons For Adopting This Strategy
Companies opt to use this strategy due to various reasons. Some companies choose a multi-cloud system to reduce the danger of centralized hardware failure. When a problem like this arises, it can make the whole business go offline, resulting in losing customers and profits. Therefore, this strategy lowers the risk of a disastrous failure.
Others prefer this arrangement to avoid relying on one cloud provider and subsequently reducing financial risk. Using one vendor is inconvenient because the company can have difficulty implementing a recovery strategy.
Using a multi-cloud strategy is also an excellent way of defeating shadow IT. Shadow IT refers to the unauthorized apps that employees utilize even if IT doesn’t control them. This issue usually emerges when IT policies do not cater to a company’s needs, and this is where a multi-cloud plan can come in handy. It enables an organization to enjoy the benefits of selected cloud technologies while adhering to security requirements.
The IT personnel can control a multi-cloud environment using cloud service vendors’ tools. Alternatively, they can capitalize on a multi-cloud management system to simplify the process. Every organization’s application for this strategy varies, so there is no definite way of running a multi-cloud system.
Pros And Cons Of A Multi-Cloud Strategy
Like everything else in life, this IT strategy has advantages and disadvantages you must consider before deciding whether you want to implement it.
Pros
- Â Â Â Avoid downtime
- Â Â Â More affordable
- Â Â Â Prevent delays/latency
- Â Â Â Avoid depending on one vendor
- Â Â Â Flexible and scalable
- Â Â Â Improves security
Cons
- Â Â Â Needs more IT personnel to manage
- Â Â Â Prone to security breaches
- Â Â Â Management difficulties
Fortunately for businesses, tools and platforms are available for managing a multi-cloud strategy. They include Centilytics, Aipaca, and Avi Networks. Managing the different cloud platforms will get easier when you use these tools.
Conclusion
Many businesses find the multi-cloud strategy beneficial since over 60% have adopted it. This is not surprising because their benefits outweigh their flaws. If you have a business, try it to reap its benefits and improve your operations.
