A hybrid or multi-cloud strategy allows you to get the best of all worlds by combining the advantages of private and public cloud with on-premise infrastructures and edge devices to meet unique computing and business requirements.
However, managing a multi-cloud environment comes with some challenges. Let’s delve into the common hurdles and see how to overcome them with the right strategy and technology.
Top Challenges of Multi-Cloud Management
Here are the common challenges you should be aware of when implementing a multi-cloud strategy:
Complex Architecture
Multi-cloud environments are complex to implement and manage because each platform has unique workflows, management tools, user interfaces, and APIs. Coordinating and integrating various cloud providers is often time-consuming and requires specialized skills and expertise, which can drive up implementation and maintenance costs.
Vendor Lock-In and Limited Portability
In theory, a well-orchestrated multi-cloud strategy gives you the flexibility and agility to use different cloud vendors to meet changing needs. However, in reality, providers that don’t play nice with each other often limit the ease of managing various environments and migrating workloads across platforms.
Interoperability and Integration
Not all cloud services are compatible with each other. Providers follow different standards and offer various services, making it challenging to integrate them into a single infrastructure and ensure seamless data flow among cloud platforms and on-premise systems. Additional planning and customization are often required to achieve compatibility.
Data Management and Governance
A multi-cloud environment without complete visibility into all your IT assets can cause data management and governance issues. The lack of data consistency can create silos and costly errors while eroding trust in data throughout the organization, impeding the use of analytics to support accurate decision-making.
Security and Compliance
Since each cloud provider has its own security measures, enforcing consistent security policies and controls across platforms can be difficult. The inability to gain complete control over your data infrastructure makes it challenging to implement data protection protocols and ensure regulatory compliance with a unified security posture.
Cost Monitoring and Optimization
The complexity of a multi-cloud infrastructure often makes it hard to monitor and control resource consumption — especially if you don’t have a centralized tool to track and analyze cloud usage, billing, and pricing models to optimize spending and avoid paying for unnecessary functionalities or excess capacity.
Labor Shortage and Skill Gaps
Many organizations don’t have the IT resources to manage a complex multi-cloud environment. You must invest in staff training or hire professionals with expertise in each cloud platform, which can be challenging in today’s tight labor market. Additionally, coordinating the various resources can add to your administrative burden.
Performance and Latency Issues
The geographical distribution of your cloud vendors, data storage, users, and applications can lead to latency and performance issues. These delays can cause frustrating user experiences or costly delays in business-critical processes. As such, organizations must invest in strategies and technologies to manage performance and minimize latency.
Overcoming Multi-Cloud Management Challenges
Here’s how to address common multi-cloud management challenges to ensure a cost-effective implementation:
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Define a robust multi-cloud strategy to support your organization’s goals.
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Choose compatible cloud platforms to ensure seamless integration and interoperability.
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Implement cloud management tools to centralize visibility and control.
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Invest in automation to facilitate provisioning, scaling, and resource monitoring.
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Enforce data management and governance policies to ensure security and compliance.
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Establish a unified security framework that covers all your environments.
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Monitor and analyze cloud usage to control costs and optimize resource allocation.
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Work with a reputable IT partner with the right expertise to fill skill gaps.
Unlock the Potential of a Multi-Cloud Strategy With the Right Partner and Management Tool
Implementing and managing a multi-cloud infrastructure involves many moving parts, but you don’t have to do it alone. The HPE Multi-Cloud Management Adoption Service can help you get the most out of a multi-cloud environment with a robust self-service engine.
The advisory and professional service simplifies cloud management, while the vendor-agnostic approach provides the freedom to choose and switch technologies without the risks of vendor lock-in. Meanwhile, the responsive, plug-in framework gives you the agility and control to stay relevant in the fast-changing business world.
You can pair the Multi-Cloud Management Adoption Service with the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform to gain complete visibility across all your IT assets across environments to ensure compliance and governance. Additionally, the pay-per-use model allows you to better control costs without paying for excess capacity.
The managed services help you reduce facility, hardware, and software expenses. The single pane of glass view offers easy tracking and analytics of cloud usage and costs across platforms to minimize unnecessary expenses and improve budget forecasting. You can also streamline workflows and facilitate provisioning through automation and self-service.
But these tools are only as good as your implementation. An expert partner that has seen it all can help you execute a robust multi-cloud strategy and avoid pitfalls to maximize your technology investment.
As a long-time HPE Platinum partner, we can help you protect, analyze, and act on all your data and applications wherever they live to turn business insights into meaningful outcomes. Get in touch to see how we can help you reap the benefits of a multi-cloud implementation while minimizing risks.
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