Cloud computing has evolved significantly over the years. We’ve seen the rise of public and private clouds, followed by the hybrid cloud, which combines both. But what comes next in this cloud evolution?

Enter multi-cloud.

You may have heard the term “multi-cloud” and wondered what it means. While it’s often confused with hybrid cloud, the two are quite different. In this post, we’ll dive into what multi-cloud is, how it differs from hybrid cloud, and when it makes sense for your business.

What is Multi-cloud?

Simply put, multi-cloud refers to the use of multiple cloud services, typically from different providers, within a single infrastructure. This strategy allows businesses to use various clouds for different tasks, such as using one cloud for software development and another for marketing operations.

Organizations often adopt a multi-cloud approach to avoid vendor lock-in, giving them more flexibility in choosing services that meet their specific needs. For example, certain laws or regulations might require data to be stored across multiple locations, which multi-cloud can help achieve.

It’s important to note that multi-cloud isn’t a cloud type itself—it’s a strategy that involves using different cloud providers and services.

How Multi-cloud Differs from Hybrid Cloud

While both multi-cloud and hybrid cloud use a combination of cloud services, there are key differences between the two.

• Hybrid Cloud: A hybrid cloud blends public and private cloud services, where different components of an application work together seamlessly. For example, an app could use public cloud services for load balancing and a private cloud for storing sensitive data.
• Multi-cloud: In contrast, multi-cloud involves using multiple clouds, which can be all public, all private, or a mix, but each cloud service functions independently. For instance, you might run applications on AWS and use Azure for database storage. There is no need for the different clouds to interact with one another directly.

In a hybrid environment, the public and private clouds are typically integrated. In a multi-cloud setup, each cloud serves its specific function, and they operate independently without any interdependence.

When to Use Multi-cloud?

Disaster Recovery and High Availability (HA):
By distributing workloads across different cloud providers, businesses can create more resilient systems. This ensures that if one cloud provider experiences downtime, services can continue to run smoothly on another cloud, enhancing business continuity.

Cost Efficiency:
Different cloud providers offer various pricing structures, so a multi-cloud strategy allows businesses to choose the most cost-effective services from different vendors based on their budget and needs.

Meeting Unique Requirements:
Each cloud provider has different strengths, and some services are better suited for specific tasks. Multi-cloud enables businesses to choose the best platform for each requirement, ensuring that every project gets the most suitable tools.

Flexibility:
A multi-cloud strategy reduces reliance on a single vendor, giving businesses more freedom to choose the services that best align with their evolving needs.

Scalability:
Multi-cloud approaches also offer scalability, allowing organizations to quickly scale resources according to business demands across multiple platforms.

Compliance:
Multi-cloud can help meet compliance requirements, especially in cases where certain vendors don’t have data centers in specific regions. Using multiple providers with global data centers helps businesses maintain compliance with local regulations.

Conclusion

While multi-cloud offers significant advantages, such as enhanced flexibility, cost-efficiency, and scalability, it also presents challenges. The key hurdle lies in ensuring secure and reliable connectivity between different cloud providers, which can require manual setup and may incur additional costs.

Nevertheless, for businesses looking to optimize their cloud strategies, multi-cloud offers an appealing solution, enabling greater control over data, costs, and operations.