Businesses have long been able to access enhanced flexibility and advanced software through cloud computing. So, what if you could use more than one cloud to reap even greater benefits?
The approach of using two or more cloud providers for different services, typically in different areas of the business, is known as multi-cloud.
A purposeful multi-cloud strategy – with careful planning and ongoing management – enables businesses of all sizes to unlock cost savings, boost their resilience and access cutting-edge solutions as soon as they’re released.
The biggest cloud providers currently operating are Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS), but many businesses choose to adopt a mixture of public and private cloud solutions as they grow.
Here’s why multi-cloud should be your startup’s next tech investment.
If you try to find one cloud solution which effectively does everything your business needs, you’re likely to end up settling for a less-than-perfect solution in favor of having a single provider.
Adopting multi-cloud means that you can access the best services different providers have to offer, and each business area can use the cloud infrastructure that meets its needs – no compromises.
For example, one cloud platform might offer the best security for areas of your business that process financial information or other sensitive data. Meanwhile, your team might find a different platform to be more user-friendly, or value the superior speed and power of a third option.
By using cloud services from more than one provider, you can benefit from cutting-edge innovations across the sector, without the complex and time-consuming process of installing new on-premise infrastructure.
It’s common for providers to source users for beta testing from their existing customers, too. Through your multi-cloud strategy, you could get to test new software innovations before they launch, and prepare your implementation plan to be ahead of the curve when they become available.
If you can’t find a cloud solution that works for your business, you can use a private cloud that is customized to your own requirements. Private clouds come with even higher levels of control and security, so they’re worth considering if your startup handles sensitive information (e.g. financial or healthcare data) or you want more control over your environment.
Whether you choose public, private or hybrid clouds (a combination of the two), one of the biggest advantages of multi-cloud is that you don’t get ‘locked in’ to using one vendor’s infrastructure. That means as your business grows and your needs change, you’re free to change your provider smoothly and with minimal disruption.
Multi-cloud may seem intimidating to non-technical founders. But tech-powered possibilities exist to solve almost any business problem, and accessing them via the cloud means you can implement them quickly and benefit from optimized processes straight away.
This is specially true if you use a multi-cloud management tool. These useful platforms enable you to monitor your workloads and applications from all your clouds in a single interface, improving visibility and making it simpler to manage your multi-cloud strategy.
Strategically using multiple cloud platforms enables you to optimize costs, too. Most providers operate a pay-as-you-go model, typically based on usage – so if you trial a cloud solution but realize it’s not working, you can stop using it, no investment wasted.
Flexible cost models like this also enable startups using different cloud providers to scale their usage up or down based on business needs. So if one employee relies totally on a cloud service but another employee uses it infrequently, your startup isn’t tied into a large, expensive plan with capabilities that don’t get used.
Finally, one of the biggest benefits of using multiple cloud platforms is that it reduces your reliance on any single provider.
That means if a particular service goes down, business continues as normal and your downtime is next to zero – which will be especially important as your business scales and more customers are relying on you.
The cost of this tactic might be higher, but the rewards come from protecting your business from financial or reputational damage caused by failures.