As enterprises move more of their data and workloads to the cloud, it is important that they know how to connect them without complications. In 2020, we saw a surge of cloud adoption, including multi-cloud models. Worldwide end-user spending on public cloud services is forecast to grow 18.4% in 2021 to total $304.9 billion, up from $257.5 billion in 2020, according to Gartner. According to a report by IDC, more than 90% of global enterprises will rely on a mix of on-premises/dedicated private clouds, multiple public clouds, and legacy platforms to meet their infrastructure needsby 2022.
However, one of the key reasons why enterprises are hesitant about adopting cloud infrastructure is operational complexity. Operational complexity can lead to some enterprises not getting the return on investment (ROI) that they expect in cloud. In 2021, enterprises need to understand the common challenges that can arise with cloud models, and how they can overcome these to realise the potential of multi-cloud in their business.
Common challenges across the cloud
The growing demand for multi-cloud comes with challenges for enterprises that do not have extensive knowledge in cloud technologies. They need to adapt their strategies in 2021 to reap the benefits of multi-cloud. In order to do that, some things need to change.
Enterprises running on a single cloud, and looking to add other clouds, are limited to its native construct. This causes limitations that enterprises are not even aware of. When scaling their businesses, they will face challenges in connecting their architectures without the right model. If they choose to extend to other clouds, they cannot use the same set of architecture to replicate the same design in the other clouds. This means they have to re-work their entire architecture, due to a lack of common control and data plane.
Enterprises are also missing out on enterprise-class networking and security without end-to-end multi-cloud networking. Networking and security are top priorities for global businesses, however hyperscalers usually do not offer full visibility into real-time network data and analytics, or full control in terms of availability and encryption. It is vital that enterprises choose a provider that can offer these features to fully benefit from a multi-cloud model.
On top of this, enterprises will require the technical know-how and experience in managing the different cloud services and connecting them. Skills gaps and cloud complexities create challenges for enterprises when trying to connect multiple clouds. Traditional network engineers often lack the skills and knowledge required for each cloud’s unique networking capabilities and limitations.
Challenges within the cloud
Besides the business challenges, there are some challenges within the cloud that enterprises must overcome. Enterprise IT requirements are changing, so the cloud model will have to deliver the same level of functionality, visibility and control as they had on-premises. However, cloud providers often don’t provide enterprises with the tools they need.
Another challenge is limited security. End-to-end encryption for data in motion, secure network segmentation, policy-based ingress and egress control and both corporate and regulatory compliance and governance all cause challenges for enterprises that do not have the right expertise.
Automation is important in any cloud operations. Manually configuring and maintaining an enterprise cloud network infrastructure of any size is difficult, error prone and resource intensive. Enterprises need to move past these manual processes when it comes the management of their data and workloads, so that they can respond quickly to any circumstances.
Moving clouds into the future
To overcome these difficulties and prepare for a multi-cloud future in 2021, enterprises need a partner that can provide the right knowledge and technologies for their business.
Enterprises need to embrace a multi-cloud model that can move them into the future. With high-speed, low-latency connectivity, as well as advanced visibility and intelligence into network performance, multi-cloud is the way forward.
An end-to-end multi-cloud service will provide seamless connectivity and optimised data management within and across the clouds such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud. It should also provide the tools for efficient business growth with ongoing support and add-ons to the enterprise when required, enabling better scalability as the business reaches new levels of growth.
Enterprises can benefit from flexibility of the cloud, with a secure private network that ensures data and workloads are protected at all costs. It ensures enterprises can deliver a consistent experience for their end users through high-performance connectivity, as well as optimising operations within their business.
Simplicity, automation, operational visibility and control are all key requirements that enterprises must look for when building a solid foundation for the future. More enterprises will be moving from basic cloud connectivity to a multi-cloud architecture than ever before in 2021. With the right support and skills, they can move past the obstacles and take their business to a new level.
