Multi Cloud Environment Challenges in Cloud Computing
A multi- cloud environment is one in which an organization employs multiple cloud platforms (at least two public clouds) to supply different applications or services. To fulfil the enterprise’s end goals, a multi- cloud might be made up of public, private, and edge clouds. In other words, it blends on-premise operations with services and applications hosted by a variety of public cloud providers, allowing businesses to reap the benefits of each platform while minimizing the drawbacks.
According to studies, over 90% of businesses are adopting a multi-cloud strategy. Simply put, enterprises wanting to optimize the cost, capabilities, and compliance can benefit greatly from a multi-cloud strategy. However one should be aware that these advantages come up with the cost of network complexity, and thus posing a few significant security challenges.
This blog covers in brief about these challenges.
Administration and Talent Scarcity
As the cloud environment widens the dimensions, the task to handle the network increases in its complexity. Each public cloud vendor has its own different architecture, APIs and the process of environment management. This is because there is no standardization adopted universally across these public vendors.
Moreover the talent to manage this growth of multi cloud platforms or environment is scarce. The rapid growth in technology and newer adoptions by different clouds to match the cutting edge has created a battling need for expertise. But it is difficult to find personnel who mastery these skills to deal with multi cloud environment and match these dynamic changes.
A centralization or standardization of the multi cloud environment procedures can be a reliable solution to deal with this challenge.
Cost control
Economy management is one of the biggest challenges before a multi cloud environment provider. Each cloud provider has its own pricing and different aspects that they consider while deciding the prices, when in multi cloud these services are provided in integrated format the optimum pricing and the balance portrays a challenge.
The best thing about multi cloud is its agility of deployment of database due to availability of multiple cloud service providers, creating the best user experience. But this poses a challenge in tracking the deployment of service by a user and keep a track of the provider and decide the pricing accordingly.
A uniformity in the provided services and the the weighted cost system can have an edge over this hurdle of uneven costing and at the same time provide the same user experience.
Security
Increase in the dimensions of cloud, exponentially increases the vulnerability of data. The amount of data being processed by any company has rapidly grown and data governance has emerged as a mighty challenge. Keeping in mind the security and the accessibility to resources to the users a robust system to assure the security of data needs to be designed.
A structured flow of data management and keeping a log of the accessibility to the multiple layers without hampering individual and overall security can be done by documenting the regulations and protocols to be followed to ensure smooth, streamlined and effective governance of the complex network. Moreover standardizations in the security policy level can be effective in migration of data from one service provider to the other.
The integration of shared security model in such environments can prove to be the best case, where the user as well as the service provider is responsible for certain security aspects. But at the same time it should be seen that the each individual is provided with a set of appropriate controls to guard the data.
Interoperability
Interoperability is the most commonly faced challenge while migrating the data from other platforms to cloud or migrating between the different service providers.
Each service provider ensures that the services provided at their end are effective, but the interoperability is least taken care of. The IT should deal with the consolidated monitoring and the various other interoperability challenges between different cloud vendors. The harmonization of effective operative and managerial flow can be inculcated to functionally combat this challenge.
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References:
[1] Dillon, Tharam, Chen Wu, and Elizabeth Chang. “Cloud computing: issues and challenges.” In 2010 24th IEEE international conference on advanced information networking and applications, pp. 27–33. IEEE, 2010.
[2] 7 Multi Cloud Security Challenges and How to Combat Them, copado.com
[3] Ankur Desai, Top 5 Challenges in the Adoption of multi-cloud Strategies, robin.io
