IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) to host virtual machines and avoid capital expenditure. And PaaS (Platform as a Service) to reduce platform software support costs. And SaaS (Software as a Service) to leverage innovative solutions... More and more organizations are being seduced by this scenario. Too good to be true? In reality, you need to weigh up the pros and cons of each option carefully before embarking on a multi-cloud approach.
The benefits of a Multicloud strategy
Combining performance, response to specific business needs and cost control, a multi-cloud strategy appears to be the winning combination for more and more companies.
It offers three major advantages:
- Great flexibility: companies maximize their range of solutions to meet their current and future needs;
- Independence from suppliers. For example, you can use Amazon Web Services (AWS) for computing and Microsoft Azure for storage;
- Minimizing risks : multicloud means applying a rule of common sense: don't put all your eggs in one basket. This helps to strengthen data security. It's true that a service provider can be affected by a cyber-attack or malicious act in-house. But by storing their data and applications in different cloud spaces, companies minimize the impact.
Nevertheless, we must beware. Reality often comes with a host of unexpected problems. Firstly, cloud interoperability is not a given, and can be very difficult to achieve. Workloads cannot simply be moved from one place to another, even if the cloud "ideal" suggests otherwise.
From managing service provider APIs to monitoring usage and managing identity and access requirements, IT managers face many challenges when it comes to multi-cloud.
Hidden costs
The other headache concerns the actual cost of the cloud. With multicloud, companies can select the offering that best meets their main criteria, particularly cost. They want to be able to move an expensive application from one provider to another.
The only downside is that, on paper, it looks easy and practical to manage. In reality, it becomes more complex. The multiplication of subscriptions, the mix of public, private and hybrid clouds, and the increasing use of SaaS (software as a service) applications are forcing companies to make constant choices.
And these choices are made all the more difficult by the fact that companies rarely have a comprehensive overview of all cloud service costs. Logically, providers only highlight certain tariffs or promotional offers. And they don't provide tools for comprehensive cost reporting.
Companies need to be supported by specialists who can provide them with more effective and comprehensive tools. They can also turn to Cloud Management Platforms (CMPs) or Cloud Services Brokers (CSBs), which separate the "management" part from the underlying cloud platform, to reduce bottlenecks and streamline transfers.
PaaS and containers: the future of multicloud?
Against this backdrop, some companies are beginning to reconsider their approach to multi-cloud. PaaS and containers offer attractive benefits. There's no need to worry about dependency. Docker, for example, makes it easy to move applications between different infrastructure providers.
Containers are also innovative solutions. Because of their open source nature, they benefit from the work of hundreds (if not thousands) of contributors who fix bugs, improve features or bring in new ones. As for cost, PaaS and containers give you the flexibility to shift workloads according to the best value for money.
Before embarking on a multicloud strategy, it is necessary to follow these four recommendations:
- Get detailed visibility of cloud resources for a complete picture ;
- Get a clear picture of cloud costs because not everything has to be in the cloud;
- Adopt a proactive security policy to reduce its attack surface, which becomes larger with multicloud, but also comply with current regulations (including the RGPD on the co-responsibility of the data controller and its subcontractors) ;
- Simplify and automate as much as possible.
However you define multicloud, and whatever your reasons for adopting it, there are tangible benefits. But as always, you need to be methodical to ensure that your organization relies on a solution that offers both technological advantage and cost savings.
