Multicloud: from one cloud to the next, without storm warnings for data security
Do we still need to introduce the cloud? Obviously not, since it has become a "mainstream" concept, so to speak. However, it is still necessary to explain certain aspects of this technology, for the simple reason that it is multifaceted, and continues to evolve.
If the very idea of entrusting data and software solutions to external or even foreign providers (the famous sovereignty issue) has discouraged many a company, the cloud has risen to the challenge.
Providers - today no less than the world's largest companies (Amazon, Microsoft, Google et al.) - have adapted their offerings under pressure from CIOs.
The concepts of IaaS, PaaS and SaaS have emerged. Then came hybrid or multicloud cloud management. Not easy to understand for the uninitiated.
What is multicloud? How does it differ from the hybrid cloud, for example? What are its advantages and limitations?
Here are some answers.
What is the multicloud?
Definition
Multicloud is a strategy that involves using several cloud service providers, at least two, whether public or private.
A multicloud always includes clouds of the same type: only public, or only private.
A recent study by 451 research (Demystifying Cloud Transformation) indicated that :
- 72% of companies surveyed use more than one cloud provider;
- 8% use three or more providers.
The objective is not so much a desire for optimization, but rather a defensive strategy, a desire to use the cloud with maximum security.
As the cloud continues to develop, and to offer more and more proof of its reliability and resilience, multi-cloud strategies could have disappeared. But this was not the case - quite the contrary.
The emergence of an extensive public cloud offering, supported by large-scale, long-term players, has gradually reduced companies' reluctance. In the end, all that remained was the embarrassment of choice, and the possibility of using several suppliers, even for the same solution.
The origins of the multicloud: initially, a quest for security
Consider your Internet service provider. Are you fully satisfied? Is the bandwidth sufficient for your needs? Do you experience saturation on certain days? Does it offer effective customer support in the event of a breakdown? Does it offer the best rates? Optimum security for your data?
You've probably asked yourself these questions, and may have come to the conclusion that if you could afford it, you'd take out three subscriptions with three different providers. With a simple idea in mind: combine maximum benefits with maximum security.
That's the idea behind multicloud.
What's the difference between multicloud and hybrid cloud?
According to the same 451 research study, 57% of respondents said they operated in hybrid cloud mode. Hybrid clouds are distinguished by their use of both private and public clouds.
The hybrid cloud is often chosen to better manage in-house workloads, and quickly compensate for a peak in computing demand with the contribution of a public cloud.
💡 It's worth noting that these two cloud managements are not mutually exclusive. It's entirely possible to opt for both hybrid cloud, and for multiple providers as part of the public part of the cloud.
Advantages and disadvantages of multi-cloud
Why this craze? The advantages of a multicloud strategy
We've already touched on some of the advantages of a multicloud strategy for CIOs. The main advantage is the security guaranteed by several service providers, in the event of disaster, breakdown or intrusion. But there are others too:
- greater freedom with regard to the supplier: they will be less bound commercially, less at the mercy of a change in policy or pricing in the offering;
- the ability to find the right cloud service for a particular business or technical need;
- ease of compliance with legal constraints: for example, when clouds are geographically located in different places, the storage of personal or sensitive data is less risky. They are less exposed to the same dangers (war, natural disaster, pandemic, etc.).
ℹ️ Using servers closer to where the data is used is also a good way of shortening any latency times, and therefore speeding up certain processes.
But where are the pitfalls? The limits of multicloud
Is a multi-cloud strategy the ideal answer to every need? If so, it would be a panacea for every IT department.
However, there are still a number of drawbacks, not all of them insurmountable, that put the brakes on its use. In surveys of IT Departments, they point to :
- increased security risks,
- interoperability problems between environments,
- associated supervision difficulties.
What's more, the use of different cloud types and offerings requires multiple skills to manage them;
However, IT Departments often wish, quite rightly, to concentrate their efforts on developing applications in-house, or on other more productive (and more rewarding) tasks for the company. So why dedicate additional human resources to managing multiple clouds?
Towards outsourced multi-cloud management?
Multicloud trends
As a logical consequence of the difficulties outlined above, companies are increasingly turning to cloud managers. As part of a multicloud strategy, they are looking to expert managed service providers for technical skills to help them make the transition to the cloud as smoothly as possible.
According to a Markess by exægis survey published in June 2019, Multi-cloud, hybrid cloud and managed services: approaches, trends & challenges to 2021, 38% of IT managers want to invest in a cloud management platform.
What does the future hold for multi-cloud?
While it was fashionable a few years ago to design one's own cloud environment, it is now more common to consume the cloud than to build it. Even large-scale companies (key accounts) don't necessarily have the multiple skills required for such architectures.
It's also worth noting that the skills required are not confined to the admittedly complex technical aspects. You need to be able to organize and arbitrate on other points, such as financial and legal considerations.
That's why we're seeing the emergence of functions specifically dedicated not just to multicloud, but to the management of diversified cloud environments. Such is the case of the Cloud Financial Manager, who must have the ability to direct certain applications towards service providers with a view to optimizing costs. Likewise, serious legal skills are required, to untangle the intricacies of contracts, sometimes drawn up under different jurisdictions.
Multicloud may be booming, but it will only reach its golden age with the hypothetical arrival of a technical, legal and commercial harmonization of offerings. One day, perhaps.
Article translated from French