According to IDG’s 2020 Cloud Computing Study, 92% of organizations have an IT environment that uses Cloud technology in some way. Thus, there is no doubt that Cloud Computing is rapidly expanding in all industrial areas. From massive organizations to newly-established startups, Cloud technology has secured a place in a diverse set of businesses.
For a beginner, Cloud Computing buzzwords like Multicloud may seem quite overwhelming. But gaining knowledge via the right resources can greatly contribute to a better understanding of many fundamental Cloud concepts.
This article covers everything about Multicloud that a beginner must know. On a primary level, we will be finding answers to questions like – What is Multicloud? What is Multicloud architecture? What are its pros and cons?
Let us begin by understanding the basic definition of Multicloud technology.
Before instantly jumping to the Multicloud definition, it is required to understand what a Public Cloud refers to. In Cloud Computing, a Public Cloud allows a Cloud provider to own, manage, and distribute resources like Cloud assets, software, and applications to the public with the aid of the Internet.
The term Multicloud collectively refers to numerous such Public Clouds. A standard Multicloud environment comprises a good many Public as well as Private Clouds. A Multicloud system provides multiple software as a service (SaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS) cloud services. This way, companies need not depend on a single Cloud provider. Not only this, Multicloud solutions provide several advantages to firms, and we will discuss more them later in the article.
There is a conventional belief that Multiclouds and Hybrid Clouds are identical in nature. However, that is certainly not the truth. As previously stated, a Multicloud refers to Multiple Cloud services. Contrarily, a Hybrid Cloud is concerned with various deployment modes like public, private, or legacy. Hybrid Cloud technologies always comprise Private as well as Public Clouds, while Multiclouds more often than not involve Public Clouds. Yet, they are capable of including physical and virtual support.
Also, Multicloud services provide industrial firms to assign different tasks to different Clouds. This facility is missing in Hybrid Cloud services. In a Hybrid Cloud environment, the clouds work together to focus on one task at a time. Furthermore, Multicloud solutions and Hybrid Cloud systems cannot be used together in an organization.
Moreover, Parallel Computing and other such environments require several vendors to be in sync for a successful computation process. But Multicloud Computing demands no such requirements.
After getting a basic idea about what Multiclouds really are, let us try to get a deeper understanding of Multicloud architecture.
Let us initially try to understand a simple Cloud architecture. The 3-Tier architecture is the most basic as well as common Cloud architecture. It comprises a total of 3 tiers. Each of these tiers gets provided with its own server. Namely, these tiers are –
There is also something known as Redundant 3-Tier architecture. Here, for recovery, each tier possesses a redundant server. Redundant 3-Tier architectures get widely employed in the Production environment. On the other hand, we have something called Non-redundant architecture that uses one server for each tier. Non-redundant architectures get deployed to test the way each application tier interacts with the other. Extra services can be added to this architecture if the requirement arises.
As discussed above, there exists a significant difference between Multiclouds and Hybrid Clouds. Not to forget, Multicloud environments are the most prevalent models across business firms. But when it comes to cloud architecture, both these models can choose from two prime categories – distributed and redundant.
Distributed Cloud models involve two environments. Few applications get executed in a Public Cloud or on-premises. At the same time, other applications run in a different environment. Let us look at a few examples of the distributed cloud architecture.
The Public Cloud takes care of the frontend components while the backend runs in the Private Cloud.
Maintenance of multiple Cloud environments offers the flexibility to choose from them based on the application to be tested.
Transaction-based executions get conducted in a Private Cloud. The collected data gets analyzed in a Public Cloud.
More often than not, redundant architectures get deployed by businesses that have recently switched to Cloud solutions. This architecture helps them get familiarized with Cloud Computing. Here, components get implemented in several computing environments. Few examples under this category are –
The Private Cloud deals with the execution of Production-based work. Besides that, the Public Cloud takes care of components related to Development, Testing, Staging, etc.
Business Continuity Hybrid/Multicloud Storage ensures prevention of SPOF or Single Point Of Failure. It blends the perks of a Private as well as a Public Cloud and thus provides enhanced security as well as reduced costs.
Cloud bursting is another example of redundant architecture. Here, the Private Cloud deals with the execution of the baseline workload. Nonetheless, it is possible to burst into the Cloud as and when the need arises.
Let us go through some Multicloud architecture designs to improve our understanding of the topic further.
In Cloudification, the component of an application component is deployed on-premise. This component can use additional cloud services that belong to other cloud platforms after migration. This feature helps improve performance. This way, the vendor lock-in situation can be avoided, and the availability of resources can be ensured.
In the Multicloud Relocation architecture, application components get hosted again on a Cloud platform. They use services provided by multiple Cloud platforms for improved skills and capacity. Multicloud Relocation also contributes to the prevention of the vendor lock-in situation.
To provide better Quality of Service (QoS), an application existing on the physical premise is redesigned to deploy it on various Cloud platforms. The redesigning is required for the independent optimization of the deployment of components used on a large scale. Multicloud Refactor’s design enables better production.
Here, an application is architectured again. Then, it gets partly stationed in various cloud environments. Upon the occurrence of any failure in the primary Cloud system, the application still manages to execute using secondary implementation. In the meantime, the services that are temporarily down can work to be functional again. When these services recover, maximum performance can be achieved. However, there will still be some period of unavailability.
At the beginning of this article, we learned that almost all organizations have familiarized themselves with Cloud technology. But, in this section, let us try and understand the factors that influence diverse organizations to switch to Multicloud management. Multi-cloud provides a notable amount of advantages. Let us discuss the various benefits that a Multicloud deployment provides.
Industrial firms get to explore several Cloud solutions via Multicloud Computing. This way, they freely choose the most cost-effective option for their business. This possibility gets diminished in the single-cloud approach since companies get forced to take whatever is available.
It is always better to have more options to depend upon irrespective of the tasks executed. Multicloud adoption enables enterprises to rely on multiple Cloud-based solutions. This approach provides the possibility to carry out some tasks despite one or two Cloud failures.
A notable benefit of the Multicloud strategy is the availability of several Cloud providers. In stark contrast to the single Cloud providers, Multicloud management consists of diverse Clouds, enabling its customer to choose the desired option. This helps prevent the infamous vendor lock-in situation. This is one of the reasons why Multicloud is a smart option for enterprises.
Multicloud-based firms get protection from cyber threats like Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, Single Point Of Failure (SPOF) attacks, and many more. Owing to this Multicloud security, the businesses provide continual services to their users.
A Multicloud platform enables organizations to distribute their apps across geographies. This allows apps to get closely connected to the target audience, leading to an improved user experience.
Consider a scenario where hardware or software independently used from the central IT system becomes so extensive that the company gets prone to more failure. In such cases, relocating resources to a preferred system like a Public Cloud sounds impossible. That shadow IT deployment extends as part of the enterprise’s existing Clouds. This results in the creation of Multiclouds.
But since no system is perfect and there are drawbacks to almost every technology, Multicloud platforms have their fair share of anomalies. What are they? Let’s read about them in the next section of this article.
Multiclouds provide a considerable amount of disadvantages despite the leading-edge solutions provided by them. Some of them have been listed below. Let’s quickly learn about them as well.
Even though Multicloud environments provide the freedom to interact with multiple vendors, complexity risks may occur. The primary cause for such complexity can be the difference in technology and procedure used by each Cloud.
Latency can occur when resources distributed across several Clouds try to communicate with each other.
In case the data centers are placed at a vast distance, it could lead to a fall in performance quality. Moreover, managing resources would become highly complex in such a situation.
As Multicloud services integrate a variety of Cloud solutions, there is a considerable risk involved regarding data privacy.
Hopefully, in the near future, Multicloud systems will overcome these challenges and provide a better service to their customers. Until then, organizations need to be careful about these drawbacks and think of appropriate alternatives to overcome them.
All in all, in the present day and age, any company that has not already switched to Multicloud technology is surely lagging in the industrial competition. With technology greatly enhancing all areas of life in a rapid manner, Multicloud systems will also overcome their drawbacks in no time. Moreover, the benefits they currently provide are lucrative enough for companies to succeed. However, it is also important to keep an eye on the disadvantages that come with Multiclouds to avoid any organizational loss.
Not to forget, the demand for skilled Cloud professionals is on the rise. With companies switching to such new Cloud technologies, the requirement of a Cloud expert becomes unavoidable. To build a successful career in Cloud Computing, learners need to invest in the right upskilling resources.
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