Multi-cloud environments have become the norm, but typically by accident rather than design. Various teams will choose cloud platforms based on necessity or preference, creating a patchwork environment that’s difficult to manage. As organizations continue to scale their IT operations to drive business growth, multi-cloud environments become even more complex.
In a recent Enterprise Strategy Group study, 64 percent of respondents said this complexity impedes their digital initiatives. Key challenges include coordinating multiple cloud and IT teams, ensuring security and availability across multiple clouds, and the time and effort involved with moving applications and data between cloud services.
Managing multiple cloud environments creates operational inefficiencies and increases the risk of misconfigurations and security incidents. It can also lead to higher costs due to underutilized or redundant services and failure to take advantage of economies of scale. To avoid these pitfalls, organizations should take a more strategic approach to the multi-cloud environment.
Multi-cloud arose from the unique strengths of various cloud platforms. While all the major cloud providers offer a common set of services, each has specific capabilities that may better align with a particular use case. The architecture of the in-house IT environment may also drive the selection of a particular cloud, as may the skills or preferences of individual developers or operations teams.
Relying on one cloud provider also comes with significant drawbacks. It can limit flexibility and scalability and result in vendor lock-in. It can also leave organizations more vulnerable to service disruptions or changes in product offerings and pricing models.
Problems arise when cloud services aren’t selected in a coherent manner. This often stems from expediency or the selection of cloud services by users with insufficient IT knowledge. Shadow cloud implementations are another culprit.
Reining in cloud sprawl starts with a thorough assessment of existing cloud platforms. Most IT teams have a basic knowledge of the differences between cloud platforms, but few understand the nuances in their approach. For example, each cloud service provider offers AI capabilities, but they vary widely in terms of features, ease of use and hardware stack. To develop an effective multi-cloud strategy, organizations need to carefully measure each cloud’s strengths and weaknesses against their business and IT objectives.
When selecting cloud platforms, organizations should emphasize consistency so that they have greater flexibility when choosing where to deploy applications. Consistency also enables greater data mobility. Cloud platforms that offer an Infrastructure-as-a-Service option can reduce the operational burden on IT staff.
Organizations should also consider their in-house talent, as experienced cloud experts remain in high demand. In-house expertise is particularly important when it comes to cloud security, which varies widely between cloud platforms and is distinctly different from on-premises security. Many organizations treat the cloud like a local machine due to legacy security practices, which significantly increases costs and leaves gaps that create risk.
Technologent’s Service Provider Framework is ideally suited to helping organizations reduce cloud sprawl and gain a more coherent multi-cloud environment. We present accurate and easy-to-understand data that enables side-by-side comparisons based on real-world capabilities and terminology. Our engineers do the upfront legwork, reducing the time required for due diligence and accelerating time to value.
Our Program Management approach helps reduce complexity and streamline administration and troubleshooting. Our people, processes and programs serve as a wrapper around cloud solutions to ensure customer success. Let us help you optimize your multi-cloud environment and ensure the successful delivery of cloud services.