Multi-cloud has evolved into the most preferred approach for enterprises, but unfortunately, it comes with its own kind of challenges. For instance, the mistakes that most commonly occur in multicloud deployments are not associated with complex technology and are rather simple, well-understood issues. These oversights often surface when people lack sufficient cloud architecture experience and attempt to cobble together architectures that tend to crash, causing loss of significant dollars.
In this article, we will look at three of the most common missteps that organizations take in multicloud deployments and how they can be peacefully avoided.
Misstep #1: Underestimating the Absence of Shared Cloud Services and Planning
Enterprises frequently make the mistake of not architecting shared services logically over public cloud services, making themselves liable to massive financial obligations. Besides, with the emergence of the supercloud, it is now essential to have a layer of shared services, such as security, FinOps, and observability.
However, attempting to leverage native tools provided by a single CSP can lead to redundancy, heterogeneity, and complexity, translating to unnecessary hikes in operational costs. Companies that make things more complex in terms of operations, security, monitoring, and tracking costs end up spending multiple times as much on all the operational services of their multicloud.
Misstep #2: Obsession with Avoiding Vendor Lock-In and Related Costs
The greatest misconception about multicloud is that it helps escape vendor lock-in and saves costs – which is an overstatement. Building a modern application on a specific CSP fosters capitalizing on the best-of-breed infrastructure and cloud-native services, including the security APIs and other native services that the application may demand. Yet, it comes at the cost of some lock-in, as shifting the apps from one cloud to another equals changing a sizable deal of code in the process.
To be forthright, multiclouds do not leap over lock-in as a rule. Multicloud is also not more affordable than single-cloud deployments as it entails managing many more cloud services and acquiring more diverse talent. Even with several public cloud vendors, there are no considerable bargains to be made using the approach.
Misstep #3: Confusing IT People with Cloud People
Before attempting to transition to multicloud or any other AI-scale technology disruptors, IT teams must have the culture and the skills to make the most out of it. Unfortunately, the scenario becomes exactly the opposite with IT teams unaware of the purpose and how to properly operate the multicloud. In such a case, even a perfect multicloud planning and architecture fails to realize ROI.
Hence, readying people for change with regard to understanding, imparting new skills, and contemplating how people interact and function is cardinal. Technology people have the proclivity to fixate on solving technical issues and may overlook dealing with people counterparts. And for every business that looks out for all these missteps and rectifies them, a multicloud future with endless growth prospects awaits.
Let's understand and approach multicloud the right way.
Multicloud 101
A multicloud strategy refers to the intentional utilization of cloud services from various public cloud providers for similar types of IT solutions or workloads, mainly involving Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) and Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) rather than Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). It is worth noting that several organizations unintentionally become multicloud due to inadequate governance or mergers and acquisitions, rather than adopting a deliberate multicloud strategy.
The use of multiple cloud providers may lead to challenges in management and governance, increased IT complexity and cost, and a need for enhanced skills. However, a well-managed multicloud strategy can broaden the technology options available to an organization, providing innovative, best-of-breed capabilities.
Factors Driving Multicloud Adoption
Cloud Portability: It enables organizations to transfer applications, data, and workloads between different cloud providers without downtime. It can be achieved through standardized APIs, containerization, and cloud management platforms, making organizations more agile and promoting competition among cloud service providers.
Cloud Brokerage: It simplifies multi-cloud management by evaluating, selecting, integrating, and optimizing different cloud services from multiple providers. It helps reduce costs and improve efficiency for organizations that use multiple cloud services.
Cloud Integration: It connects cloud-based apps, services, and data to streamline business processes, automate workflows, and provide insights. It’s crucial for organizations using multiple cloud services, helping them avoid data silos and stay agile.
Cloud Governance: Its policies manage and monitor multi-cloud environments, covering cost, security, compliance, and performance. It includes cloud strategy, architecture, operations, security, compliance, and cost management. Effective cloud governance optimizes security, compliance, and costs, enabling innovation and transformation.
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