The presence of multi-cloud architecture is representative of the complexity of our digital age. The multi-cloud approach to data management is already the industry standard although it is relatively new, and while it can greatly increase productivity and help companies progress in their data storage capabilities, it also presents challenges in terms of security, cost, and streamlined management.
This article will provide an overview of multi-cloud architecture, from its advent and evolution to current use cases and projected future growth.
If your organization wants to stay ahead of the curve in multi-cloud computing, keep reading.
Like most things in the world of technology, cloud computing has had strong roots in the world of IT for decades, but only in the last 10 years has multi-cloud computing taken the front and center stage as the best practice for organizational data management.
When cloud computing came onto the scene, the focus was solely on using an individual cloud to store data. The single-cloud model gave companies and individuals the ability to store data online rather than burdening their physical servers.
As data centers and organizational needs increased, a hybrid-cloud model was developed. This method of cloud computing combined physical data storage with cloud computing for a more diversified, secure, and flexible cloud storage option.
We are now in the age of multi-cloud computing, which has only been commonly used for a handful of years but is now the standard for any enterprise with data storage needs.
Cloud computing has cycled through three versions of itself in just a couple of decades. While this fast-tracked growth can be overwhelming for business owners and IT departments working to keep up, it is the best and perhaps only way for cloud infrastructure to progress. The modern world of technology moves at lightning speed, and if cloud computing is going to do what it promises — provide security, flexibility, and agility for data storage — it needs to move as quickly as the rest of the IT world.
Multi-cloud architecture is the use of two or more cloud services to store, manage, and deliver data for a variety of purposes. Muli-cloud architecture is closely related to hybrid cloud, which is the use of a private, on-premises cloud in tandem with a public cloud.
Every cloud iteration has proven better than the last, and hybrid multi-cloud architecture continues to demonstrate this by supporting diverse organizational needs. When an organization is working across multiple departments, serving various types of clients, and dealing with large amounts of data, a “just okay” solution to data storage isn’t going to cut it.
Instead, enterprises need what a multi-cloud system provides: flexibility, security, high performance, and low downtime. An additional perk of multi-cloud computing is the variety of cloud providers on the market. Rather than choosing just one provider, organizations can make a la carte cloud choices based on budget, particular storage needs, and available integrations.
Multi-cloud architecture truly allows organizations to custom-tailor their storage solutions, which helps them see success everywhere else in their business.
The customization mentioned above means that even competitors in the same field can set themselves apart from one another in the way they deliver services and handle customer data. Multi-cloud architecture creates a world of possibilities for business owners to craft their governance and management strategies in unique ways, rather than being beholden to predetermined cloud computing requirements. This also means that as your business grows and changes, your cloud strategy can grow with you.
Enhanced reliability through redundancy:
Redundancy implemented with multi-cloud network architecture provides security and peace of mind for your organization. Redundancy means you can store a data set in one location, on one platform, and have it duplicated and backed up on a completely different provider’s service. If an outage or cyberattack impacts your primary cloud, your backups will be secure.
Optimized performance:
Different cloud providers have different specialties. Some are valued for their cost-effectiveness or security, while others are useful for automation, customer service, or performance monitoring. Capitalize on the potential of these providers by crafting a multi-cloud plan that will play to the strengths of each provider you choose, so you can get the highest benefit every time.
Improved disaster recovery capabilities and geographic reach:
Similar to reliability through redundancy, multi-cloud architecture removes the risk of losing valuable data in the event of a natural disaster or outage. Storing data in clouds across geographic locations means that if one location becomes inaccessible, your data will still be secure.
While multi-cloud architecture is a top recommendation from IT professionals and adds many benefits to enterprise data storage, some challenges accompany multi-cloud network architecture as well:
Complexity in management and integration:
The biggest benefit of multi-cloud computing can also be its biggest downfall. Piecemealing together a multi-cloud strategy based on specific offerings from different providers is a great way to tailor your storage needs to your cloud solution, but it can be a headache for governance and management. Data contracts and thoughtful governance plans should be implemented early in the process of adopting a multi-cloud solution to avoid confusion across your enterprise.
Security concerns with data spread across multiple platforms:
The security that comes from redundancy across platforms is also a double-edged sword. Coordination and alignment across your organization are necessary to ensure security measures are implemented correctly between every department and cloud provider.
Vendor lock-in risks:
Make sure you fully understand the requirements and contractual obligations of each cloud provider you use before implementing their cloud for your data. The last thing you want is to try to implement a multi-cloud strategy, only to end up locked in with one provider and forced to abandon the rest of your multi-cloud plan.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to planning your multi-cloud strategy. The needs of your organization, your existing data systems, and your IT budget are just a few factors to consider when planning a multi-cloud approach.
The elements of a multi-cloud environment will vary, but there are multiple design patterns to choose from and services to use for successful design implementation.
Assessing business needs and technical requirements:
Don’t make multi-cloud strategy decisions in a vacuum. This stage of the process is a great time to pull in stakeholders from across your enterprise to ensure a well-rounded view of your data storage needs is obtained. Interview these stakeholders, find common pain points and growth goals, and begin making decisions about your multi-cloud environment from there. Some business needs to be on the lookout for are scalability, security, user interface, and customer support.
Selecting the right mix of cloud providers and services:
Choosing your cloud providers takes a great deal of intention and research – ensure the compatibility of your existing cloud services by weighing your choice cloud providers up against your analytics services, such as Microsoft Fabric or Tableau.
Once your cloud providers are chosen and your multi-cloud strategy is laid out, integration is the next step. Strategy is a great start, but implementing multiple cloud providers at once with your pre-existing systems is a significant task. Cloud integration is when the strength of your multi-cloud system will truly begin to shine.
Seamless connectivity solutions
There are many options and platforms to choose from when integrating your existing cloud services with your new multi-cloud strategy. If you have on-premises cloud storage, focus on creating a hybrid-cloud bridge between your existing private cloud and new public clouds. The most important aspect of integrating your cloud platforms is a seamless integration experience — focus on a system that will be efficient and secure, with limited down time.
Another method for seamless cloud integration and development is containerization through tools like Kubernetes. These containerization tools allow your organization to develop cloud-native apps, adjust workloads, and grow in flexibility across cloud providers.
Pro tip: While considering your integration tools and methods, it’s also a good time to evaluate whether your data is being housed in the most efficient way. A data lakehouse is the most flexible, cost-efficient, and secure form of housing and organizing structured and unstructured data.
One consideration of hybrid multi-cloud architecture is ensuring security and compliance measures are stringently followed across every cloud platform.
Internal, company-wide measures can be taken to educate your team on data security, set up guardrails for data access, and establish expectations for best practices – because although security platforms and data restriction can go far for your company’s privacy and security, individual users are interacting with this data every day, and they ultimately have responsibility for the handling of important data.
One highly effective way to establish governance and compliance across your company is to implement particular contracts, policies, and governance norms that can be agreed upon by every team member.
Now that your multi-cloud strategy has been established, your integration tools have been chosen, and governance policies have been laid out for your organization, it's time to use your cloud strategy in real time.
A multi-cloud management tool can significantly reduce your workload in managing multi-cloud architecture, and there are multiple options to choose from.
To discern which multi-cloud management tool is best suited for your organization, weigh your priorities and greatest needs. Are you most concerned with cost savings, Kubernetes management, governance and security, or hybrid to multi-cloud integration?
Make a priority list and discover which tool may be right for your organization. Multi-cloud management tools to explore include:
Multi-cloud architecture integration and management tools are important for the growth and success of your business, but the cost of these premium providers can add up. A few ways to mitigate excessive spending on cloud tools is to ensure there is no idle spending on certain platforms through constant monitoring and reallocation of resources based on current needs.
Remember that the benefit of multi-cloud architecture is the inherent customization, so take advantage of that and adjust your cloud provider allocations based on your business growth and current needs.
Some cost-monitoring and management tools include Azure Cost Management, Amazon CloudWatch, and CloudHealth.
Kenway successfully aids enterprises in their hybrid to multi-cloud deployment, from organizations at the national level to small businesses. These companies are seeking assistance in everything from growing in their understanding of their buyer's needs through Salesforce to establishing cloud redundancy and increasing organizational security.
The possibilities of success that can come from your organization’s investment in multi-cloud architecture cannot be overstated. See for yourself how one of our own clients scaled their operations through technology modernization and a multi-cloud solution.
Multi-cloud architecture has made large strides toward further data integration and sophisticated data storage and use, but if we know anything about the world of IT, it's that things move more quickly than most anyone can predict or expect.
AI is a game changer for the entire digital world, and the cloud is by no means excluded from its impact. AI and machine learning can fill in the gaps for organizations without team members being proficient in every cloud or management platform, as well as aiding in optimization and analysis.
Edge computing is a form of physical storage that places data storage as close to the data source as possible, cutting out the centralized cloud approach for a decentralized approach that can be more efficient and secure in certain scenarios.
With so many types of data and organizational needs, edge computing and cloud computing should be able to coexist with no issue — in short, there is plenty of demand for both.
Now that we have walked through the history, benefits, challenges, integration, security, cost roadblocks, and management tools that go along with multi-cloud orchestration, you should have a comprehensive understanding of what platforms and providers will best set your organization up for success as you transition to a multi-cloud system.
While the initial setup and implementation is a large lift, remember that multi-cloud is the way of the future for digital enterprises. The sooner you begin implementing your multi-cloud architecture, the more of a competitive edge you will have in the fast-paced digital environment.
For organizations just starting with multi-cloud implementation, Kenway recommends laying out your cloud strategy priorities and gathering insight from stakeholders across the company. Have a plan in place for every provider that will be needed to make your company’s cloud integration a success, from providers to internal governance.
Lastly, remember that multi-cloud architecture is far from one-size-fits-all. The unique needs of your particular business should dictate the choices made for implementing this new structure – be attentive to what those inside of your organization are saying, and stay cognizant of advice received from multi-cloud experts.
If expert advice is an area where your enterprise needs support, Kenway would love to supplement those needs with our team of consultants. Kenway is proud to offer tailored multi-cloud strategies based on your enterprise's current needs, growth plans, and security requirements.
Multi-cloud architecture benefits include increased disaster recovery capabilities, security through redundancy, and data flexibility. On the other hand, risks of multi-cloud architecture can arise when governance is not taken seriously by an organization and its team members, and when cost-savings are not taken into account from the start of implementing a multi-cloud strategy.
Multi-cloud architecture requires a high level of intentional security and compliance because of the various cloud providers being used at once. The elevated security risk can actually be a benefit because of the level of intention and coordination required to ensure a consistent security plan across the board.
Use a containerization or organizational tool like Kubernetes for effective multi-cloud integration, as well as planning well beforehand and focusing on preparation for reduced downtown during integration efforts.
