Should You Use a Multi-Cloud Network Architecture?

Whether you’re trying to maximize reliability or optimize workload performance, it might be a good idea to explore multi-cloud network architecture. Many organizations today have a multi-cloud environment, and it’s easy to see why—this type of architecture offers increased reliability, flexibility, and performance.

In this post, we’ll take a look at multi-cloud network architecture and help you decide if it’s right for you. But if you’re ready to diversify your cloud environment, we can help. Join Nerdly for free today to hire top cloud talent on-demand for your changing cloud needs!

What is a multi-cloud network architecture?

A multi-cloud architecture is a type of cloud architecture in which organizations use a mix of services from multiple cloud providers. Instead of only using cloud services from one platform, such as AWS, organizations that have a multi-cloud architecture might also use services from two or more cloud platforms, like Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Oracle Cloud.

Advantages of multi-cloud

There are many advantages to taking this approach. To name a few:

• Greater resilience. If one of your cloud service providers suffers an outage, you can quickly switch to another provider to keep your site or application running with minimal downtime.
• Avoiding vendor lock-in. The main benefit here being agility and flexibility, organizations don’t have to worry about breaching a contract if they decide to switch vendors after a little while.
• Playing to the strengths of different vendors. You could, for example, go with Amazon EC2 for compute services but use Oracle Cloud for database services.
• Cost optimization. More choices for cloud services means cloud providers have to offer more competitive pricing.
• Regulatory compliance. Depending on the nature of your business, you might be legally obligated to store your data in specific geographic locations. Most cloud vendors can handle these requests, but some organizations choose multi-cloud in this situation when one vendor offers an advantage over the other.

Of course, organizations can realize many other benefits with multi-cloud, and there might also be situations where multi-cloud doesn’t make sense for an organization. Make sure to consult your technical team before making any changes, and engage the right talent to help you implement any changes you do decide to make.

Hybrid cloud vs. multi-cloud

Sometimes people get confused when hybrid cloud gets thrown into the multi-cloud conversation. That’s totally understandable! However, framing the question as “hybrid cloud versus multi-cloud” is somewhat of an apples-to-oranges comparison.

A hybrid cloud environment is when an organization uses a mix of public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises hosting. You don’t need a multi-cloud architecture to take a hybrid cloud approach, and you don’t need to take a hybrid cloud approach to have a multi-cloud architecture. Make sense?

The good news is that you can reap the benefits of hybrid cloud environments and multi-cloud architectures simultaneously. Usually organizations do this if they’re handling sensitive data or if they’re bound by regulations to store some data on-premises.

At the same time, organizations in highly-regulated industries are not the only ones who might prefer hybrid cloud within a multi-cloud architecture. If you’re unsure which approach is right for you, talk to your technical team or consider hiring a cloud consultant.

Hiring a multi-cloud developer

If you decide to adopt a multi-cloud architecture, it’s a good idea to hire multi-cloud developers. I’m using “developers” as an umbrella term here for cloud professionals who have experience working in more than one cloud platform.

> Read more: How to Hire an AWS Developer in 2022

The cloud platforms you’ll want to see listed on a candidate’s resume will, of course, depend on the cloud vendors you use, but as a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to watch out for the Big Three:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Several other tech giants like Alibaba, IBM, Oracle, and Tencent also offer cloud services, but these aren’t as common.

If you know the specific cloud platforms you’ll be using, look for candidates who are certified in different areas of those platforms. AWS offers 11 different certifications for specialties like Certified Developer and SysOps Administrator, and Azure offers 29 certifications at the time of writing, including Azure AI Engineer and Azure IoT Developer.

Is a multi-cloud network architecture right for you?

It comes down to your needs as an organization. Before making a decision as huge as adopting a multi-cloud architecture, you’ll want to start a conversation with your technical teams. But in general, if you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, it might be time to start that conversation:

• Are you concerned about the reliability of your primary cloud vendor?
• Do you have strict service level agreements (SLAs) you’re contractually required to maintain?
• Are your users spread out over a wide geographical area to the point that slow load times become an issue?
• Are you subject to regulations that require you to store data from certains users in a specific region or country?
• Are you worried about the implications of getting locked into a contract with a single vendor?
• Are you looking for ways to reduce costs associated with your cloud environment?
• Are you unsatisfied with certain services your current cloud vendor provides but don’t want to totally switch to a different vendor?

If your organization currently doesn’t have the right technical people to guide you in this decision, you might consider hiring a cloud consultant. Cloud consultants are highly knowledgeable about the various cloud platforms and can advise you on your best options.

The final verdict

Whether or not your company should make the jump to multi-cloud ultimately comes down to your specific needs and business goals. It’s not a good idea to rush into this decision, so take your time and make sure to collect ample feedback from relevant stakeholders.

If you are ready to make the switch, we can help. Create a free Nerdly profile today to source, interview, and hire top cloud talent, on-demand. Click the button below to get started!

Related articles