In recent years, more and more organizations have turned to multiple public cloud providers to run their businesses.
In some cases, the situation arises unintentionally, because different teams want different platforms. In other instances, it is the result of a strategic decision from organizations eager to gain the competitive and economic advantages of multiple clouds. This may include higher flexibility, lower costs, greater capacity to monetize data, and regulatory compliance.
Yet the journey to multi-cloud adoption can be long and painful. In the long run, many businesses may face spikes in complexity and cost, not to mention security concerns.
Unlocking the true potential of a multi-cloud approach—becoming “cloud smart”—must be intentional and strategic.
The Struggle with Multi-Cloud Complexity
The challenges of multiple clouds can surprise business leaders. The public cloud “looks very, very good on paper,” said William Brown, Cloud and Infrastructure Architect at ice Norway.
“After the initial burst of excitement, there’s this phase of disillusionment — that things aren’t going as well as expected,” said Tom Eck, Fiserv’s SVP and Distinguished Engineer.
For Christoph Rode, senior vice president of Cloud Platforms at T-Systems (part of Deutsche Telekom AG), multi-cloud adoption has led to challenges on several fronts. “You know costs are going up even if you’re controlling costs,” he said. “I have to control my expenses. I need to control security, compliance, and I need help. “
These experiences are not unique. According to a recent survey of nearly 6,000 IT leaders by Vanson Bourne commissioned by VMware, 70% said they struggle with multi-cloud challenges. Few businesses have reached the tipping point where the strategic advantages of multi-cloud outweigh its complexities: 70% of companies have not yet reached an advanced stage in their journey to multi-cloud adoption.
Organizations experiencing these challenges are missing out on significant opportunities around multi-cloud revenue, profitability, and data monetization that can provide competitive advantages. They also cannot enjoy multi-cloud data sovereignty and data security advantages that keep customers and employees loyal.
The Advantages of Being “Cloud Smart”
There is a better approach to multi-cloud adoption. One in five organizations surveyed in the report can be considered “cloud smart,” or mature in their multi-cloud approach. They take a planned and strategic approach to digital transformation and multi-cloud implementation.
“The security of your application, the accessibility of your application from different parts of the world, how you use these apps, to me, is really the start of cloud intelligence,” said Joe Van Ert, systems architect at Quality Bicycle Products.
These key factors are what separate cloud-smart organizations from those that experience multi-cloud adoption challenges:
- Application innovation
- Visibility and cloud spending
- Cloud security
- Data management culture and groups
Regardless of where a business is on the path to cloud adoption, it can adopt a cloud-smart mindset. Organizations that take this approach and use the right technology can reduce the complexity and minimize the challenges that come with juggling multiple clouds. Taking advantage of available cloud platforms allows businesses to maximize revenue and profit, securely manage data across borders, and monetize data at their fingertips.
Learn more about become a cloud-smart organization.
