Trying to patch together your cloud environment from too many providers can be costly

In today’s environment post COVID-19, many companies have found themselves relying on a multi-cloud strategy to achieve their business objectives. There are a lot of advantages to using a multi-cloud strategy, and while we’re not discounting this approach entirely, there should be some proper planning that occurs before committing to it.

For many organizations, a more singular approach, or at least a hybridized version of their cloud strategy, is more likely to yield cost effectiveness along with greater efficiency. For this purpose, we will examine some of the pitfalls that can come with over-purchasing cloud solutions when a more streamlined strategy will be more beneficial.

Cloud Complex

By running your cloud environment through multiple providers, you are obviously increasing the complexity of your network. Managing a single cloud platform is demanding enough. Each new provider brings their own access management and security environment that requires additional time and effort to navigate.

The sheer complexity of using multiple vendors for the cloud is further complicated with the staff requirements for managing all of these resources. Add to that, with a shortage of qualified IT professionals to provide the help necessary, it can be difficult to find the right individuals who are competent with navigating multiple cloud instances. In this case, using a single cloud environment can simplify the type of staff required in your IT department.

Security Issues

There is logic to using a multi-cloud approach for tackling security concerns for an organization. Spreading your cloud environment over multiple vendors means that you can reduce the risks of a single point of failure in the event one of the cloud services stops working. However, the other side of this coin is inconsistent security across the vendors.

Data security is an ever-evolving issue, where new threats and updates to manage are a constant occurrence. Because of this shifting environment, it’s always a concern when using multiple vendors. Will they be able to update in the same manner at the same time, protecting against security gaps that can occur during these phases?

On top of the need for regularly synced updates to reduce security gaps, multiple vendors may not possess the same levels of security competence when it comes to compliance and regulations.

An organization committed to helping those in an IT-only industry may not be considering the access security necessary for HIPAA or military levels of clearance for their data. These varying levels of security can create issues from an identity management perspective.

The Cost of the Cloud

The prevailing logic may be that the most cost-effective strategy is to select specific cloud vendors for their specific uses, thus making pricing decisions based only on the services needed. While this works in theory, the hidden costs that can come with under-utilization of cloud solutions, along with increased complexity, can stack up.

Without proper planning and management (which come with their own organizational costs), purchasing from multiple vendors for a cloud network can begin to spiral out of control, like buying too many subscriptions. It may seem like all the services are necessary, but as an organization grows and evolves, a reassessment of what each vendor provides becomes a necessary practice.

There are incredible cloud savings that can occur from choosing a single provider. By going with a single provider, you can more easily control the costs and management necessary versus negotiating with multiple vendors with flexible pricing structures that can catch you unawares. Additionally, even greater savings can be found from taking advantage of reserve instances to save on cloud compute and tiering in a single cloud environment.

The CloudKey Solution

Not every cloud network is built equally, and there’s no reason to jump on the multi-cloud bandwagon if your organization could be better served by a single provider. The CloudKey^SM platform is your cloud solution provider, delivering a highly available cloud network that is multi-site from day one.

Designed specifically by you and your organization, CloudKey^SM has a fully customizable configuration. You build the environment you need, and we deliver the tailored experience your company requires to run at optimum efficiency. It’s that easy. To actualize the full potential of your business, and to stop overspending on cloud solutions, explore these pricing options and take advantage of CloudKey^SM today.