Business Cloud Strategy: Multi-Cloud Architecture Designs You Should Know

As companies start to realize that cloud computing is here to stay, there has been growing focus on various new concepts. One aspect of cloud computing that has garnered much interest recently is multi-cloud architecture, i.e. an approach that involves the usage of services from at least two public cloud service providers (CSPs). In fact, one study found that as many as 92 per cent of participants are already in the process of adopting a multi-cloud strategy. This is not surprising on account of the many, many benefits such a strategy delivers, including the ease of compliance with relevant data laws, access to best-in-class cloud services, etc. You see, your existing cloud service provider may not necessarily provide a particular specialized service that you need for your organization. However, with a multi-cloud strategy, you can pick and choose service providers that fit the varied needs of your organization and business.

Now, if you too are looking to adopt a multi-cloud strategy, it is imperative to first understand that just like there exist different deployment models of cloud computing, there are different types of multi-cloud architecture as well:

1. Cloudification: Cloudification means an app hosted on-premises makes use of cloud services from different cloud platforms.

2. Multi-cloud relocation: In relocation, an app is re-hosted on a cloud platform and then configured to allow it to use a service from another cloud platform.

3. Multi-cloud refactoring: With refactoring, an app is re-architected into two components for deployment on individual cloud platforms in a multi-cloud environment.

4. Multi-cloud rebinding: Rebinding involves re-architecting the original app for migration to a multi-cloud architecture albeit one or more components remain on-premises, while the rest are migrated to individual cloud platforms.

5. Multi-cloud rebinding with cloud brokerage: It is essentially multi-cloud rebinding albeit with the involvement of a cloud brokerage service, which is responsible for integration of several aspects of a multi-cloud infrastructure and ensuring secure and optimal functioning of all components.

6. Multi-app modernization: In place of simply revising one app’s architecture for multi-cloud deployment, one re-architects several apps as a portfolio for deployment in a multi-cloud infrastructure.

Now, let us look at the pros:

1. Savings: Not being dependent on just one vendor offers immense scope for negotiation and better deals.

2. Reliability and redundancy: The multi-cloud approach fortifies the process setup redundancy and reliability. Even if one CSP is rendered nonoperational, the others can still be used.

There are some cons of multi-cloud architecture as well:

1. Increased vulnerability: More the number of cloud service providers, more the risk.

2. More latency: While using different cloud providers for data localization may ensure improvements in cloud-to-user latency, one may still observe greater latency within the cloud infrastructure that underpins the setup since multi-cloud infrastructure comprises services from different data centers that are typically located in different geographies.

Finally, it is also important to understand differences between multi-cloud and hybrid cloud: a hybrid cloud architecture comprises at least one public cloud service and at least one private cloud service. Whereas, a multi-cloud architecture involves at least two public cloud services.

There you have it, folks. Hopefully, this quick download on multi-cloud architecture and the many kinds of designs you can use will help make it easier for you to embrace the concept and drive your organization’s growth even further.