Introduction
Multicloud architecture has been here for more than a decade now. Businesses employ a combination of on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud to create, operate, and access their applications and solution.
The cloud and its various use cases have changed how industries function, enabling them to be quick and dynamic with their strategies, resources, and offerings.
Companies are increasingly trusting the cloud for the management of their application stacks. It’s almost unthinkable to visualize a business that doesn’t utilize cloud technology or service.
With the increase in cloud adoption and positive sentiments around cloud architecture, Global cloud revenue is growing moderately. The pandemic and the surge in digital services are driving cloud technologies.
As per Gartner, the global cloud revenue will likely reach $474 Billion towards the end of 2022. The figures stood at$408 Billion in 2021. In the next few years, market analysts assess that cloud revenue will exceed non-cloud income for pertinent enterprise IT markets.
Studies further suggest that more than 85% of businesses will adopt a cloud-first principle by 2025 and depend heavily on cloud architectures to manage and execute their digital strategies.
What is multi-cloud architecture?
As the name suggests, Multicloud architecture is a cloud approach consisting of more than one cloud service. It allows organizations to harness the services of two or more cloud service vendors.
Many of us imagine a “cloud” as a solitary platform hosting services and applications spread across multiple locations. In reality, such platforms are multi-cloud architectures.
Multicloud architecture is one of the hottest topics in any corporate discussion. Be it the benefits of multi-cloud architectures or the drawbacks of multi-cloud architectures, the buzz around it seizes to rest.
The different types of cloud systems-
Mainly, we have four kinds of cloud computing deployment models:
- Private cloud
- Public cloud
- Hybrid cloud
- Multicloud
Also, there are three principal types of cloud computing services:
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
- Platforms-as-a-Service (PaaS)
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
Hybrid cloud vs. Multicloud
We hear that there exists a gray boundary that separates hybrid cloud and multi-cloud. We shall discuss the same in detail here.
Hybrid cloud
A hybrid cloud deployment strategy is a way to connect infrastructure, solutions, and applications between cloud-based resources and existing resources that are not placed in the cloud as of now.
Multicloud
It’s the cloud approach consisting of more than one cloud service. Multicloud is a superset of the hybrid cloud. In other words, all hybrid clouds are multi-clouds, but the opposite is not valid.
Why multi-cloud?
There are various reasons why organizations opt for multi-cloud architecture.
The multi-cloud approach furnishes augmented availability and resilience by dispersing workloads across multiple cloud vendors. At the same time, you can utilize the latest updates in technology and move between clouds as they compete in price and technological innovation.
Multicloud architecture designs have wide-ranging benefits, and the trends will follow the same curve in the years to come.
Here are some of the advantages of multi-cloud architecture:
Flexibility
All of us love to have flexibility in whatever we choose for various tasks. Businesses are no different when it comes to selecting a cloud service.
A particular cloud service could be perfect for a specific aspect of an organization—but no single cloud can do everything. Hence, the multi-cloud option becomes significant.
Proximity & lower latency
Proximity is one of the most significant benefits of the multi-cloud architecture. Most of the time, cloud services are hosted miles away from a business. To enhance response times for cloud users, organizations could consider choosing local cloud vendors. The step ensures high availability and adherence to data sovereignty protocols.
Disaster recovery
Multiple options are always more reliable than a single option! Multicloud settings shield businesses from service disruption threats.
Organizations opt for multi-cloud to stay away from outages and be up and running. It allows enterprises to leverage an available backup in case something goes wrong with one of the cloud architectures.
Optimize costs
The ability to optimize costs is another advantage of the multi-cloud architecture. With a multi-cloud approach, enterprises can save costs by hosting applications on the most suitable type of cloud.
Businesses usually pay for what they use, meaning there is no need to pay for overlapping services from various vendors. Additionally, companies can scale up or down as and when requirements change.
Enhanced ROI
We have heard in the past that different packages have different things to offer. Likewise, various vendors have offerings and features.
While a specific service may not offer a particular feature, other vendors might get the same delivered.
Therefore, mixing various cloud settings enables enterprises to develop best-in-class solutions that align with their business requirements and goals.
Autonomy
Nobody wants to be locked into an agreement with a particular service provider, let alone businesses. A multi-cloud architecture design allows enterprises more independence to spread workloads across multiple settings.
Drawbacks of multi-cloud architecture designs
Despite having multiple benefits, multi-cloud architectures have some drawbacks that the cloud computing community needs to address.
Challenges in managing
Working with different cloud service providers can get complex. Sometimes it becomes difficult to manage as each vendor has other functionalities and processes. Failing to handle them all precisely could impact an enterprise’s agility.
Security concerns
Security concerns are probably the most alarming drawbacks of multi-cloud architectures. Multicloud architecture designs have security concerns as various players are involved in the public cloud.
Final words
Cloud computing promises an exciting future, that’s for sure. Businesses can benefit from multi-cloud architectures. We have seen a range of advantages of multi-cloud setups that influence organizations to adopt cloud settings.
There are some drawbacks, and the concerned community can address them to make multi-cloud architectures versatile and safe to utilize.