Determining the right multi-cloud approach

IT infrastructure is expanding across an almost bewildering array of connected environments, including traditional on-premises systems, private and public cloud, and increasingly edge cloud. That’s a lot to keep track of, let alone manage effectively, and it could lead to indecision over what to connect next, and how.

Most organizations today are juggling an assortment of SaaS and on-premises capabilities for automation, operations, log analytics, network visibility, security, and compliance.

Too often, those organizations may have stumbled their way into a multi-cloud strategy.

“The most concerning issue about most enterprises going multi-cloud is their lack of preparation to make multi-cloud and hybrid cloud work as a solution platform for the business. In other words, obstacles exist in leveraging this technology effectively,” writes InfoWorld columnist David Linthicum.

As VMware CTO Kit Colbert points out, multiple cloud providers increase complexity: “Developers must employ different development tools and APIs for each one, making it difficult to manage app deployment, security, and data. Utilizing additional clouds with their underlying technologies places additional strain on an enterprise’s technology personnel.”

The promise of multi-cloud is relatively simple: to accelerate service delivery while reducing costs and business risk. But to achieve the full benefits of their cloud investments, organizations need interoperable services that span their on-premises and cloud capabilities.

“IT organizations need to handle multi-layer business applications in complex multi-cloud operations as well as dynamic cloud-native applications on the same digital platform,” advises IDC. ​“Key challenges are cost management, data management, security, performance, and management across multiple clouds.”

In CIO’s most recent State of the CIO, there’s evidence that IT leaders are focusing on how to come to grips with those challenges.

“They are actively making operational excellence a priority and working to ensure the fast-paced cycle of digital investments made over the course of the pandemic is delivering for the intended business outcomes,” states the report summary.

Unifying cloud infrastructure and management across multiple public cloud vendors is not something those vendors specialize in, as they are each constantly seeking to one-up the other with unique propositions.  

To get ahead, organizations are better served asserting multi-cloud autonomy. The applications and operational procedures that you want to work consistently across all environments should be abstracted from the differences between cloud providers. That is going to require tools and procedures that allow you to monitor and secure applications and workloads across multiple public clouds.

Multi-cloud operations can best be achieved with a consistent infrastructure and management stack. A centralized cloud management and applications platform that integrates with other tools and technologies, in particular containers and Kubernetes, will provide the ability to move workloads across multiple cloud providers.  VMware Cloud Universal offers a clear path to succeed in a multi-cloud environment.

VMware recommends that organizations seek multi-cloud infrastructure solutions that:

• Manage applications consistently regardless of where they are deployed
• Enable building, moving, and execution of applications anywhere, including moving applications between public clouds without refactoring
• Keep applications secure, no matter where they run
• Enable developer and IT support, so teams can collaborate easily
• Provide a path for seamless migration to new cloud environments, so adapting does not mean refactoring.

The ability to manage multiple clouds from a single interface is essential to gaining control over your multi-cloud strategy. Without that, you’re likely to spend the next few years bobbing and weaving from one primary cloud provider to another, never quite realizing the true value of a multi-cloud strategy.  

To learn more how VMware Cloud Universal provides multi-cloud manageability, go to https://www.vmware.com/products/cloud-universal.html.