The Multi-Cloud Reality
The Multi-Cloud landscape is not just a trend; it’s a reality and businesses have found themselves navigating, often unintentionally. Whether through shadow IT, acquisitions, or adopting best-of-breed technologies, companies increasingly find themselves in a Multi-Cloud environment. According to VMware’s FY22 H2 Benchmark: Digital Momentum (August 2021), 73% of enterprise technology decision-makers are standardizing on Multi-Cloud. This trend underscores the agility and operational efficiency that Multi-Cloud environments offer. However, this Multi-Cloud adoption has its challenges.
The Journey from On-Premises to Cloud Chaos
The evolution of enterprise IT has been marked by significant milestones, starting with on-premises data centers that were the backbone of business operations. However, the limitations of on-premises solutions for specific workloads—such as scalability issues, high operational costs, and lack of agility—prompted organizations to consider the cloud a more flexible and cost-effective solution. This led to the “Cloud-First” strategy, where businesses started migrating applications and data to the cloud to capitalize on its benefits.
While the Cloud-First approach offered advantages like scalability, flexibility, and reduced hardware costs, it also gave rise to what can be termed “Cloud Chaos.” Companies found themselves juggling multiple cloud services, each with its own set of APIs, security protocols, and billing models. This chaotic landscape led to the following:
- Fragmented security postures making it difficult to maintain a consistent security policy
- Operational inefficiencies due to the need for standardized processes across various cloud platforms
- Spiraling costs with little to no visibility into cloud spend across different services
- Skillset gaps, as specialized knowledge was required to manage and operate each cloud environment
VMware Cross-Cloud: A Cloud Smart Approach
In response to the challenges posed by Cloud Chaos, VMware Cross-Cloud aims to deliver a “Cloud Smart” approach to Multi-Cloud management. Unlike a Cloud-First strategy, which often leads to hasty and uncoordinated cloud adoption, a Cloud Smart approach is about making intelligent decisions based on business needs, compliance requirements, and operational complexities. It emphasizes:
- Strategic Alignment: Ensuring cloud adoption aligns with broader business objectives and compliance mandates
- Operational Consistency: Providing a unified layer of management across multiple clouds to streamline operations and improve efficiency
- Cost Optimization: Implementing governance mechanisms to monitor and control cloud spend effectively
- Security and Compliance: Centralizing security policies and compliance monitoring to maintain a consistent security posture across all cloud environments
By adopting a Cloud Smart strategy, organizations can navigate the complexities of a Multi-Cloud landscape more effectively, making informed decisions that align with their business goals and operational requirements.
The Industry’s Unified Vision for Multi-Cloud
The industry is using various terms like “Multi-Cloud,” “Supercloud,” and “Cross-Cloud,” each representing a facet of the same underlying concept: the need for a unified, architectural approach to managing multiple clouds. This was evident at theCube’s Supercloud1, Supercloud2, and Supercloud3 events, where industry leaders, including VMware, discussed the future architecture of Multi-Clouds. The key takeaway is that while terminology may differ, the vision is unified: businesses will inevitably become Multi-Cloud, and what’s needed is an architecture that delivers consistency and optionality across these multiple clouds.
VMware’s Holistic Approach to Multi-Cloud Management
VMware Cross-Cloud Services: A SaaS-based Solution
VMware Cross-Cloud Services is a robust SaaS-based portfolio designed to tackle the intricacies of operating in a Multi-Cloud landscape. These services aim to provide a unified management layer, offering much-needed consistency across different cloud environments.
Five Pillars of VMware Cross-Cloud Services
- App Platform: VMware Tanzu
- Cloud Infrastructure: VMware Cloud
- Cloud Management: VMware Aria
- Security & Networking: VMware NSX & VMware Carbon Black
- Anywhere Workspace & Edge: VMware Workspace ONE & Edge
VMware Tanzu serves as the cornerstone for building and deploying cloud-native applications. It offers a range of solutions for container orchestration, service mesh, and continuous integration and delivery, enabling developers to focus on what they do best: writing code.
VMware Cloud provides the underlying infrastructure needed to deliver and run applications across multiple clouds. It offers a consistent and scalable environment, reducing the operational complexities of managing disparate cloud resources, whether they run on-premises in a private cloud or on any hyperscalers.
VMware Aria is designed to monitor and manage application performance and costs across various clouds. It offers real-time insights through a unified dashboard, enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions for optimizing their cloud investments.
Security is paramount in a Multi-Cloud setup. VMware NSX provides robust networking capabilities, including micro-segmentation and load balancing, while VMware Carbon Black offers endpoint security solutions. Together, they ensure a secure and connected Multi-Cloud environment.
VMware Workspace ONE provides a digital workspace solution that empowers distributed workforces. Coupled with Edge solutions, it enables organizations to deploy and manage edge-native applications efficiently, enhancing operational agility.
Conclusion
VMware Cross-Cloud Services offer a unified vision and a practical solution in a Multi-Cloud world that is still defining itself. As the industry converges on the terminology and specifics, VMware’s Cross-Cloud Services is a robust, adaptable solution for today’s Multi-Cloud challenges.
Read More:
Virtualization Trends Series: Network Virtualization: Transforming the World of Networking : Part 7
Follow our Twitter and Facebook feeds for new releases, updates, insightful posts and more.
