Whether accidental or intentional, multicloud is becoming the dominant way companies use cloud technologies. As more organisations attempt to formalise those advantages, they run into several complications. How can they navigate their options and remove multicloud's barriers?
The cloud model for everyone
Multicloud used to be something only large companies considered. But that has changed. In late 2024, 79% of cloud buyers told IDC Pulse that they are already using multiple cloud providers. Multicloud is no longer exclusively about infrastructure or platforms, but all things cloud. Whether a company uses multiple software as a service (SaaS) applications, stores backups at different cloud providers or nimbly divides workloads among suitable cloud platforms, those are all examples of multiclouds.
In some cases, the multicloud emerges without the business even realising it, says Vinay Hiralall, Chief Commercial Officer at Liquid Intelligent Technologies: "Multicloud becomes most apparent at the infrastructure and the platform layers. But it's also at the SaaS layer, especially shadow IT. It's only when companies do an inventory check that they do realise they're already at the beginner stages of becoming multicloud."
Multicloud is also growing because it helps companies to use intensive technologies such as artificial intelligence. This is also true for SMEs, which, "especially in the age of AI, should be looking at a multicloud strategy".
More clouds, more complexities
Still, many companies are reluctant to embrace a multicloud model because of the complexities. Multicloud can happen organically or intentionally: "bottom up" and "top down". Hiralall adds that both have advantages.
"With the bottom-up approach, users start utilising applications – preferably SaaS applications – across different clouds, and then they go to their IT departments to scale and integrate these systems. When there's a board- or executive-level requirement for multicloud, that mitigates quite a few things like vendor lock-in and plan Bs for workloads."
The bottom-up scenario could be worse because it doesn't naturally demand understanding and balancing workloads or apply security and governance. Yet, it enables employees to intuitively select what's best for the business. A multicloud groundswell might be inevitable and require top-down formalisation. Otherwise, the company will attract the two biggest multicloud challenges: cost optimisation and visibility.
"Cost optimisation and visibility are key. Certain workloads run better in certain clouds, especially when you add the costs of processing and disaster recovery."
Multicloud needs partners
Multicloud is becoming a necessity for most organisations, but that doesn't make it any simpler. Companies might shun the idea because of the additional work it will require to master and operate.
The smart move is to rely on skilled partners. Yet, many technology resellers claim they have multicloud skills and capabilities but are not much more than access brokers. The true differentiator is how embedded a multicloud management partner is with multiple cloud providers and services, especially hyperscale cloud and wide-area networking infrastructure.
"You need a partner who can bring it all together, based on their strategic relationships with hyperscalers, connectivity footprint and security capability. That creates a seamless multicloud engagement. It's one cost optimisation or management platform, one security platform and one cloud management platform that you can look across," says Hiralall.
Often, an organisation will have to leverage multiple partners or attempt to manage multicloud internally. But in either case, it becomes cumbersome once multiple workloads and technological expansions, such as AI and IOT, come into play.
Hence, the best way to tackle multicloud complexities is to assign a partner that covers everything, says Hiralall.
"Our aim at Liquid C2 is to simplify that approach for our customers, giving them an orchestration platform that they can utilise to manage the entire multicloud environment, while we take care of the security, the uptime and the connectivity to the cloud. How do we connect you to the cloud? How do we connect you in between the clouds? How do we secure you across the clouds that are there, and then how do we give you access and management? When you can answer those questions, you're on the road to mastering multicloud."
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