According to Microsoft, “The cloud is not a physical entity, but instead is a vast network of remote servers around the globe which are hooked together and meant to operate as a single ecosystem. These servers are designed to either store and manage data, run applications, or deliver content or a service such as streaming videos, web mail, office productivity software, or social media.”

In addition to the designation of public and private clouds, organizations are combining cloud computing platforms to make hybrid and multiclouds. We'll discuss what each of them is and how to determine which is best for your business.

What is Multi-Cloud

Multi cloud architecture refers to multiple public cloud platforms. If an organization is utilizing a multi-cloud deployment, they are using multiple clouds from different providers.

Organizations utilize multi-cloud deployment for various reasons, from redundancy to leveraging the different platforms for specific services.

Benefits

• Reliability and Redundancy. since there are multiple providers, if one provider goes down, theoretically, a business can continue through one of the other deployments.
• Potential Cost Savings. By utilizing different providers, organizations can pick and choose services based on price.
• Reduced Vendor Lock-in. It can be challenging to leave a cloud provider, but it can be easier to migrate if services are spread across multiple vendors.

Challenges

• Management Complexity. The more platforms, the more difficult it can be to maintain visibility. And since visibility is essential in security and uptime, this can lead to downtime and security breaches.
• Increased Latency. There can be an increase in latency if the cloud platforms need to communicate to perform functions.
• Security Concerns. Since multiple platforms are used, there are more vulnerabilities.

What is Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud deployment utilizes a private and public cloud setup. The private cloud may be through a provider or an onsite data center.

Benefits

• Scalability. The hybrid cloud architecture offers ease of scalability.
• Security and Compliance. Highly sensitive data remains more secure in a private cloud.
• Agility. Resources can be provisioned on a private cloud and then transferred to a public cloud.

Challenges

• Integration Issues. If managed incorrectly, there can be integration issues between public and private clouds.
• Lack of Capability. If a hybrid cloud is not constructed correctly, it may not meet a business's needs.

Multi Cloud vs Hybrid Cloud

A hybrid cloud differs from a multi-cloud in two main ways:

• It utilizes a combination of private and public clouds.
• Data and processes typically intermingle, complementing each other instead of staying in their separate silos.

How to Choose

There are two factors to consider when choosing a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud setup: cost and security.

It is often thought that public clouds come with less overhead than other infrastructures. So a multi-cloud setup seems more attractive. But in actuality, costs with public clouds can quickly add up.

Public clouds can also be seen as more attractive because they offer organizations the ability to spread out costs through operational expenses instead of capital expenditures. With the emergence of hardware as a service, organizations can access enterprise-level datacenters through operational expenses, making private clouds more attainable.

As far as security goes, a hybrid model allows businesses to access the scalability of public clouds with the privacy and security of private clouds. This is the biggest selling point of a hybrid cloud setup for organizations with highly sensitive data.

How Anteris Can Help

Anteris can manage and protect any type of cloud deployment. We have partnerships with public cloud providers that allow us to manage your public and hybrid cloud services. We also have Anteris Cloud Solutions, a private cloud service. Your data would not be in a shared space, but rather in a private, redundant infrastructure. This would reduce your IT footprint, provide secure remote access to the infrastructure, and allow for affordable redundancy.

Let us make your technology freeing, not frustrating.