Multi-Cloud is not a Strategy - It's a Distraction.
As organizations increasingly adopt cloud computing, the concept of multi-cloud strategies continues to gain traction. Yet too often focus on multi-cloud distracts teams from developing a true cloud strategy. Let's face it, cloud computing is a commodity, and while using multiple cloud providers can be suitable in some limited cases (regional or service availability, disaster recovery, etc.), focusing on multi-cloud as a core strategy just leads to unnecessary complexity and detracts from addressing more pressing challenges. By fixating on multi-cloud, organizations risk falling into a clear trap of "bikeshedding" and neglecting more important and strategic aspects of their cloud adoption.
Cloud Computing as a Commodity:
Major Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) offer similar services with minimal differences in value, cost, and effort. There are some arguable strengths in one provider over another but the maturity of the Cloud market and fierce competition makes most of these differences a matter of style over true value. As a result, organizations should focus on business goals and objectives rather than fixating on selecting the perfect provider.
The Multi-Cloud Distraction and Bikeshedding:
Multi-cloud strategies are most often led by myths about their true benefits. For example, third-party vendors often site avoiding vendor lock-in from a cloud provider as a reason for multi-cloud. Of course, their product will help manage your multi-cloud environments, so the vendor lock-in is simply transferred to them instead of the primary cloud provider. There is also the ego-driven attitude of a cloud architect attempting to prove superior intelligence by integrating all the clouds over focusing on any real business value. Regardless of the different motivations of multi-cloud proponents, they often only succeed in contributing more confusion to an already complex transition to the cloud. Focusing on multi-cloud as a core strategy is akin to the phenomenon known as "bikeshedding" or the "law of triviality." In the context of cloud adoption, bikeshedding occurs when an organization focuses too much on the details of managing multiple cloud providers, instead of addressing the more important and strategic aspects of cloud adoption, such as aligning with business objectives, optimizing costs, and ensuring security.
A Better Approach: Cloud Adoption Frameworks and Well-Architected Frameworks:
Cloud Adoption Frameworks and Well-Architected Frameworks provided by CSPs offer a more effective approach to cloud strategy. They help organizations assess, plan, and optimize their cloud journey while ensuring the alignment of technology with business goals.
Cloud Adoption Frameworks
These frameworks offer guidance and best practices for adopting cloud services. They cover essential aspects like readiness assessments, migration planning, cost management, and security.
Amazon Cloud Adoption Framework
Google Cloud Adoption Framework
Well-Architected Frameworks
These frameworks provide a set of best practices and design principles for building and maintaining cloud infrastructure. They focus on areas such as operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, and cost optimization.
AWS Well-Architected Framework
Google Cloud Well-Architected Framework
Azure Well-Architected Framework
Moving Beyond Multi-Cloud:
Focusing on the real cloud strategy challenges, leveraging cloud frameworks, and emphasizing focus and expertise can help organizations avoid the distraction of multi-cloud and concentrate on how the cloud can be used to add value and support advantages in their market.
Some Practical Tips from the Cloud Adoption Frameworks:
To further enhance your cloud adoption experience, here are some practical tips derived from Cloud Adoption Frameworks that can help ensure a smooth and efficient transition:
1. Align your cloud strategy with your business objectives: Focus on how the cloud can help your organization achieve its goals, such as cost savings, agility, or scalability.
2. Assess your organization's readiness for cloud adoption: Evaluate your current infrastructure, staff skill sets, and operational processes to determine if you are prepared to embrace cloud technologies.
3. Choose the right cloud provider(s) for your needs: Yes CSP selection does matter and selecting a CSP that best aligns with your organization's goals, technical requirements, and budget is still very important, it's just not a cloud strategy by itself.
4. Develop a clear migration plan: Outline the steps needed to transition your applications and infrastructure to the cloud, including potential challenges and solutions.
5. Invest in training and upskilling your staff: Ensure your team has the necessary knowledge and expertise to manage and optimize your cloud environment effectively.
6. Leverage Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Adopting IaC allows you to manage and provision your cloud infrastructure using code, making it easier to automate, version, and maintain. Tools like Terraform enable you to define, provision, and manage infrastructure across all cloud providers using a single, unified language (HCL). This promotes consistency, simplifies management, and accelerates deployment, while also reducing the risk of human error and configuration drift.
7. Implement proper governance and security measures: Develop policies and controls to maintain compliance, protect your data, and manage risks associated with cloud computing. Enforce these controls with Policy as Code and by leveraging the CSP's core identity and access management as well as service-based controls. Not sure where to start look to the CIS Best Practices Benchmarks.
8. Monitor and optimize your cloud environment: Continuously track your cloud resources' performance and cost, making adjustments as needed to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness. For cost performance look to FinOps for both strategy and tactics to ensure consistent returns on cloud efforts.
By following these general tips, avoiding narrowly focused strategies like Multi-Cloud, and implementing the Cloud Adoption and Well-Architected Frameworks provided by most CSPs, organizations can adopt cloud computing and enjoy its numerous benefits while avoiding its costly failures.
Final Thoughts:
Cloud computing has become a vital component of modern IT infrastructure, but focusing on multi-cloud as a core strategy can lead to unnecessary complexity and distractions. Remember, multi-cloud is not a strategy - it's a distraction. Keep your focus on the business value of the technology which is the only goal that truly matters for your organization's success with the cloud.