Preparing for the Multicloud Future
Organizations of all types are under pressure to move faster. Some meet this challenge by reducing the time to market for new products and services. Others opt for adapting to the digital experience expectations of employees, customers, and partners. Although the motivations leading to the adoption of cloud methodologies can vary, cloud computing has become the key enabler of innovation and business agility.
Location, location, location
In the early days of the cloud, location did not matter. In fact, much of the initial cloud value proposition hinged on the idea that you did not need to know where a data center was located as long as you could access a web-based application and its associated data. Early adopters enjoyed the benefits of low-cost cloud resources that could scale on demand, freeing themselves from the capital investments and management overhead of on-premises systems.
A lot has changed since then. Organizations discovered that the location of cloud resources does matter, most commonly for performance. It takes a lot longer to access an application 3,000 miles away than to connect to one in a local city.
This realization led to the creation of more cloud regions across the globe, but there are still not enough of them to address the latency needs of every workload, especially in situations with real-time data requirements.
Compliance concerns
The security and privacy of data has also become a top concern. As governments and industries began to create regulations for how data could be communicated and stored, customers realized that deploying to a public cloud region could inhibit compliance.
Compliance concerns begin with data sovereignty but also apply to other aspects of the cloud, including who has access to foundational elements like control planes and encryption keys. Organizations must have the ability to control where data is stored and accessed to comply with the growing number of industry and government regulations.
Match workload to the right cloud service and location, maximize outcomes
While all these new requirements were emerging, another trend occurred. The majority of cloud buyers no longer rely on a single cloud provider. Instead, most now find themselves in a multicloud environment.
This is not by mistake. Organizations are realizing that working with multiple cloud providers gives them more deployment options that solve for both performance and security. It also allows them to optimize costs by selecting the best provider for a particular workload.
IDC views the cloud as an operating model that can be deployed in a variety of locations with a variety of providers. Think of it as a ubiquitous computing continuum ranging from edge locations like factories, warehouses, and retail stores … to infrastructure embedded in telecommunications networks … to hyperscale cloud data centers. With this mindset, it’s possible to maximize business outcomes by selecting the right cloud service and location for a given workload.
What to consider when optimizing multicloud workloads
To take advantage of multicloud flexibility, it’s important to understand the readiness of a workload. This can be evaluated in four areas: portability, performance, scalability, and security.
Portability: Workloads that are designed with cloud-native design principles are the easiest to deploy in a multicloud environment. This means architecting with microservices and documented APIs. It also involves the use of containers and other serverless platform services.
Performance: It is important to understand latency thresholds for both back-end and user-facing processes. Another element is the amount and type of data used within a workload, including the use of rich media like images and video.
Scalability: Many workloads experience peak usage times where resources must be quickly scaled to meet increased demand. For global organizations, these usage patterns follow time zones that benefit from geographically specific deployments.
Security: In most cases, only a subset of sensitive data is subjected to regulation, but the requirements for compliance can vary by location. Applying security classification to an inventory of data is needed for correct placement.
Start your journey to the multicloud future
Many in the industry refer to cloud adoption as a journey because every organization has a different mix of traditional and modern applications and a different timeline for migration. This diversity is reflected in the multicloud concept, which is a strategy of selecting the technology fit and cost profile that best align with the needs of the business.
In uncertain economic times, CIOs are being asked to scrutinize budgets while simultaneously delivering more value. The cloud operating model is favored because it reduces risk, allowing organizations to right-size spend to their current needs. It can also increase the pace of innovation by making it easier to adopt newer technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Learn more
For more information,download and complete the IDC Technology Assessment Guide “Maximizing ROI by Selecting the Best Cloud for Your Workload.” The worksheet can help you evaluate your current workloads as you prepare for the multicloud future.
