The Multi-Cloud Advantage

- LaroO'Haver

MORE THAN ONE CLOUD PLATFORM IS NOW THE NORM

Multi-cloud is getting a great deal of attention these days. Eight out of ten enterprises surveyed by Forrester in 2018 described their cloud strategy as being multi-cloud. At this point, the industry has not standardized on a single definition. Some enterprises consider multi-cloud the use of private and public clouds for different workloads. Other enterprises describe multi-cloud as the simultaneous use of more than one public cloud for the same workload. Whatever the approach, the goal is to match workload requirements with the platform that provides the best combination of price, performance, and manageability.

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

Choosing the best platform for a particular workload depends on many factors: application design, integration requirements, the location of users or data, the need for security, and the availability of management tools. Platform providers, both private and public, also differentiate themselves by offering unique features and add-on services to attract specific types of cloud users or industries. Some users may want the control that using an open cloud platform provides. Any or all of these factors can play a role in the initial platform decision. Also, the ease of acquiring cloud services has led many non-IT groups to purchase cloud services, further increasing the diversity of platforms which IT is expected to manage.

MULTIPLE CLOUDS REDUCE RISK