Cloud

3 Factors to Consider When Optimizing a Multicloud Environment

Agencies must streamline management, ensure security and control the cost of cloud resources.

Keith Irby is a principal cloud solution architect for CDW.

As cloud hyperscalers become an increasingly integral part of enterprise IT, more government agencies are adopting a multicloud approach by integrating two or more cloud environments to support their IT operations. Sometimes, IT leaders choose which cloud provider to use is based simply on which vendors are familiar. However, there are strategic reasons for why a particular cloud environment might be the best fit. For instance, a cloud vendor might have specific partnerships that make it an obvious choice for certain workloads.

Whatever factors lead an organization toward a multicloud approach, IT and business leaders need to ensure their environments are in optimal shape. Here are some areas to monitor.

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Exploring the Cost of Multicloud Environments

Too many IT and business leaders assumed that the cloud automatically would be less expensive than their on-premises environments. Often, they performed a “lift and shift” of their resources, failing to redesign their workloads for the cloud. The same thing can happen when organizations first embrace a multicloud approach: With more people spinning up more resources in more environments, costs can quickly spin out of control.

Cloud vendors have native tools to help organizations monitor and manage costs. Value-added partners can help organizations generate predictive cost models and alert stakeholders to potential cost increases.

Properly Managing Data Across Cloud Providers

The top concern for any agency with a multicloud environment should be managing workloads so they are always fully available and offer a high level of performance. Some of this starts with application and network design. If a given program uses data from different clouds, network latency can create lags that negatively impact the user experience.

EXPLORE: How to choose the right backup when your agency functions in multiple environments.

Here again, organizations can benefit from working with a trusted partner to help manage their multicloud environments. In a managed services model, a partner handles the day-to-day management of cloud-based services and technical support, freeing up internal IT staff to tackle more strategic initiatives.

Why Limiting Access Can Support Security Efforts

Security problems can pop up quickly in a multicloud environment if agencies do not adopt and follow guidelines to govern who can access given resources, and how. As a rule, organizations should follow the principle of least privilege, granting users access to only the data and systems they need to do their jobs. This doesn’t mean organizations should toss up roadblocks that prevent employees from being productive. It does mean that data — especially highly regulated or otherwise sensitive data — shouldn’t be easily accessible to people who don’t need it.

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