The cloud has been a game-changer for enterprises, enabling them to scale up and down their IT needs as needed. But the era of a single public cloud is over. In order to stay competitive, many enterprises are turning to a multi-cloud strategy that uses several different providers depending on their specific needs. Multi-cloud allows the companies to focus on their business instead of managing their own infrastructure and data centers.
A multi-cloud strategy will also enable companies to take advantage of the best features from different providers without being locked into one provider's ecosystem. This gives them more flexibility when choosing tools that are better suited for specific needs. Finally, it provides a level competitive playing field between players in the market because no single vendor has an advantage over another with regards to data or service availability across providers.
Alexandre Gonzales is a veteran of the startup world and has worked with startups in Florida, Silicon Valley, and Canada. He's also an expert on cloud computing as well as serverless applications. As the former CTO for startups like Labotec, Evercontact, and TrafficAvenu and the current CEO of FlashDrive.io, Alexandre knows what it takes to secure a company's data while streamlining operations.
Today, most startups are also adopting a multi-cloud strategy because they want to stay flexible and agile with different projects running on different clouds. This allows them to maximize their usage of each cloud while still having access to all of their data and services when necessary. As the market evolves, more players will embrace this trend, making it part of any healthy IT strategy.
In a survey of Fortune 500 companies, 33% have a multi-cloud strategy in place, and 42% are looking to implement one in the next two years. Moreover, the pandemic has forced companies to increase the adoption of digital technologies at a rapid rate. The advancement, driven by the desire to serve consumers better, has brought about several years' worth of change within just a few months. However, a whopping 39% of businesses have no plans to switch from a single-cloud strategy. This barrier will be difficult for many companies to overcome as public cloud services become more diversified and competitive.
Moving to the cloud
Many organizations are moving towards the cloud for cheaper, more efficient ways of doing business. This new reality has created a drastic shift in both what's possible regarding how we work and interact digitally - but it also comes at a high cost. With data centers becoming increasingly expensive while still not providing enough space or power needed by modern businesses; some have turned towards renting out their spare capacity through web hosting providers, which can help businesses to scale up without any additional investments from them whatsoever (this works exceptionally well if you're just starting out).
Public cloud has allowed companies to shift their focus from hardware and infrastructure maintenance and has given them more time to focus on actually running their business. However, with so many providers currently available, it can be difficult for businesses to choose which one(s) will work best for them. In a world where different cloud computing services are available to the public, it's crucial for enterprises to keep up with all their options in order not to be left behind.
For instance, you may find one company's platform focuses on speed over others focused more heavily on security or other essential features for an organization's needs. So do your research and take advantage of all these different services offered by vendors with a multi-cloud approach. The flexibility provided can help organizations stay ahead when adopting digital resources management into everyday operations.
Developing an integrated multi-cloud strategy
The lack of an integrated multi-cloud strategy is leaving companies at risk. The problem becomes even more severe when you consider that most cloud providers offer their own set of services, which makes integrating them into your existing infrastructure difficult and time-consuming. This is where I found myself working on such a platform that offers robust features and services that can be easily integrated with third-party clouds.
While our infrastructure is incredibly resilient to failure (and offers tools like daily encrypted backups for quick disaster recovery), we know that making the switch from another provider is not always easy or swift. Hence, we make it easy for companies, whether small or big, to have web assets across several providers, enabling them to recover quickly in case of a malfunction. Moreover, we effectively optimize their infrastructure costs and empower enterprises to reach customers anywhere in the world more efficiently.
The use case:
Let's say an online store begins with a single web server and later decides to add a content delivery network (CDN) for better geo-distribution. Now, imagine that business grows so much that it starts using applications like: ecommerce, inventory management, or customer relationship management (CRM). They may find themselves struggling with managing data and services across several clouds, which is an impossible task.
Actually, there are hybrid cloud computing models that help companies sort out their networked resources between their data centers and public or private clouds. However, this requires a high level of knowledge on handling network components and using different cloud APIs.
The solution:
With an integrated multi-cloud, it is easy to connect your web server and content delivery networks (CDNs) and quickly deploy new applications on any of them. As a result, you can improve system performance and lower operating costs dramatically due to increased flexibility. What's more, by using an integrated multi-cloud service, you can ensure that your company complies with regulations such as HIPAA or PCI that may apply to your business.
Multi-cloud is the way forward
The advantages of using an integrated multi-cloud platform are countless. First, you don't need to invest in any additional tools or new processes. You can easily switch between clouds without having to worry about your infrastructure - it just works. Second, you will have access to a wide range of services that can be used by small and large companies alike.
There are many companies that have found success in implementing an integrated multi-cloud strategy. Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, the benefits of this approach cannot be overlooked. When we think about how important data is in today's business world and the consequences of losing it, does anyone really want any inconvenience caused by mistakes or malfunctions? With an effective organization of your web assets, you can prevent any kind of inconvenience caused by errors or malfunctions in case of an unexpected event.
Interested in moving your data to the cloud? Check out our lists of the best cloud storage and best cloud backup services
