Multi-cloud architecture has been around for a while. Moreover, its relevance in development spheres becomes more explicit as time goes on. Not sure what multi-cloud architecture is? We'll explain everything you need to know about it and how it can benefit your business!
What is Cloud Architecture?
Before delving into multi-cloud architecture, it's necessary first to define cloud architecture. What is a cloud in the IT and software context? Clouds are platforms that extract and distribute scalable functions on networks. Thus, cloud architecture handles tech combinations to build said clouds. Here, the architecture connects the needed components and capabilities. The outcome is robust online systems in which apps can function.
Let's put it this way: imagine you're building a house. If the cloud infrastructure were the material, the architecture would be its layouts. Today's scenario has many huge tech brands offering their cloud services. Some include Amazon's Web Services (AWS), Microsoft's Azure, and Google's Cloud Platform (GCP).
What are the Types of Cloud Platforms?
There are different types of cloud platforms to solve various problems. Thus, it's fundamental to recognize their similarities and differences. As a result, not only you'll get a more profound understanding of its different uses. Further, you'll be more assertive when deciding the best choice for your organization.
1. Public Cloud Computing
Public clouds have a vast range of computational resources available for free. These include memory, Central Processing Unit (CPU), and storage. Often, their production uses IT infrastructure that end users do not own. Further, public clouds link to managed services, like database servers and security systems. Top suppliers enclose Alibaba Cloud, AWS, Microsoft Azure, and IBM Cloud.
2. Private Cloud Computing
In the private clouds scenario, single private companies own the infrastructure. Often, these have physical locations at a company's own data center and use its hardware. In some cases, organizations establish outsourced private clouds. Here, supplier data centers are off-premises. A cloud becomes private when the IT infrastructure commits to a single client.
3. Hybrid Cloud Computing
As the name says, hybrid clouds combine public and private features. These have safe internet connections via VPN services or specialized private channels. There are certain factors to follow to fall into this category. The most common system involves having at least one private and one public cloud. Yet, sometimes, having two private or two public clouds does the trick. Any IT system is hybrid when apps move in and out of different yet connected environments.
What is Multi-Cloud Architecture?
This term refers to using various cloud computing services in a single organization. The business benefits are rather extensive both in hardware and innovative senses. Not only multi-cloud architectures provide access to higher-end hardware. Further, they allow for widening computing and data storage as the company grows. Plus, this structure offers flexibility, scalability, and cost-saving advantages.
What Are Multi-Cloud Architecture Patterns?
A multi-cloud architecture can boost speed and security. Meanwhile, it can also increase availability and redundancy. In big-picture terms, they have two main categories. These are distributed deployment and redundant deployment.
Distributed Deployment Patterns
These are especially effective when using a cloud provider's characteristics, traits, or features.
1. Tiered Hybrid Pattern
This pattern commonly includes both front and back-end apps. Here, the front end interacts with end users or customers. Meanwhile, the back end securely keeps data. Since it follows regulatory needs, tiered hybrid patterns require fewer updates.
2. Partitioned Multi-Cloud Pattern
Here, the focus is on moving workloads as needed while maintaining compatibility. The main benefits of partitioned patterns include lock-in risk reduction and regulation concerns. It also helps businesses to select the finest characteristics from each provider.
3. Cloud Analytics Pattern
In this pattern, the cloud performs analytical operations. Then, it sends it its conclusions back. With cloud analytics patterns, cloud storage can use data-lake patterns with buckets for incoming traffic.
4. Edge Hybrid Pattern
This hybrid pattern addresses connectivity concerning time and business-crucial operations. On the network edge, it accesses the cloud for simultaneous workloads. Keeping consistent Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment with cloud environments is quite good here.
Redundant Deployment Patterns
These patterns are especially beneficial for increasing the architecture's robustness.
1. Active-Active Pattern
In active-active multi-cloud, the application hosts several cloud providers. Each application has a load balancer at the front to control traffic.
2. Active-Passive Pattern
Here, the alternate cloud provider is only employed if a server fails or the service stops. In that scenario, it switches to a backup server traffic with pre-set traffic triggers. In active-passive patterns, traffic instantly directs to the second provider.
3. Public-Private Pattern
This pattern holds both public and private cloud servers. Private clouds often have a firewall and more extensive security systems. This feature allows managers to detail what to share with the public ones.
Types of Multi-Cloud Architecture
1. Cloudification
This architecture hosts on-premises application components. Then, these often execute after migration to a public cloud. Cloudification enables to use of services from various cloud platforms. As a result, it offers increased performance and flexibility. It increases availability by re-hosting applications and avoiding vendor lock-in.
2. Multi-Cloud Relocation
Here, companies migrate data and apps to many cloud providers. All this occurs in the context of specific requirements. Reasons include costs, performance, or taking advantage of new functions. On-premise apps can use other cloud providers' services with multi-cloud relocation.
3. Multi-Cloud Refactoring
This architecture aims to use cloud bursting and high reliability. In this scenario, refactoring takes advantage of failover features provided by several clouds. Applications must be re-architected to execute in a multi-cloud setting. Here, individual components get separated scales from one another. Thus, these high-usage elements have an independent supply from low-usage ones.
4. Multi-Cloud Rebinding
Multi-cloud rebinding entails re-architecting apps for migrating to a multi-cloud architecture. Further, it can work to develop high-availability and fault-tolerant systems. By splitting workloads over several clouds, it can also improve performance. This architecture divides resources between on-premises and the cloud. Within it, specific components stay on-premises, and others move to the cloud.
5. Multi-Application Modernization
In most cases, the cloud process involves re-architecting single applications for deployment. Yet, here, the re-architecture happens in several apps as a collection. After this rearrangement, these launch in a multi-cloud system architecture. This category gives a set of rules for shared elements. Also, it lowers operating and maintenance costs.
Pros and Cons of Multi-Cloud Architecture
| Pros of Multi-Cloud Architecture |
Cons of Multi-Cloud Architecture |
| Flexibility and Speed: It enables companies to use several cloud providers, increasing flexibility and redundancy. This feature is significant for businesses with various and relevant applications. Further, it helps when these apps need to be up and running at all times. |
Difficult Management: Multi-cloud architecture can lead to fragmentation. So, it makes it difficult to track usage and performance across clouds. As a result, troubleshooting and optimization can turn hard. Managing different cloud systems at the same time is a tough challenge. Especially when considering few cloud professionals can handle one or two cloud systems. |
| Cost Reduction: Multi-cloud architecture can help businesses save money. Moreover, it cuts the need to pay each provider for everything to keep working since organizations pay for usage. Also, companies can quickly scale up or down, depending on their current needs. |
Overall Dependency: Suppose a company relies heavily on multi-cloud architecture. In that case, it may become too reliant on individual cloud providers. Also, switching would be difficult if one of them goes out of business or experiences an outage. |
| Lock-in Prevention: Multi-cloud architecture can also boost performance. Here, businesses can select the best provider for each task. A company might use a public cloud provider for less-critical jobs. Meanwhile, the same venture can use a private cloud provider for more sensitive tasks. |
Security Risks: While outages are easier to manage, security issues are far more complex. Each supplier needs to address its security measures. Also, interconnecting systems across providers open up more opportunities for security breaches. |
Why Choose a Multi-Cloud Architecture?
Multi-cloud computing changed business processes by making technology more available. Before, that tech was only accessible to huge organizations' servers. Thus, adopting this structure has several benefits.
A multi-cloud approach can improve dev processes by fastening access to resources. Further, it enhances security and wides up the choices for testing and deployment. By choosing it, enterprises can also improve performance and reliability. Another highlight of it is its cost management. Companies can achieve great service deals by combining different providers. We'll go over its pros and cons later on. Yet, multi-cloud architecture is definitely something to consider when designing new products.
Conclusion
Multi-cloud architecture is increasing its popularity in software development. By using multi-cloud, you can deploy applications in fast and easy ways. At the same time, you can also take advantage of its cost savings and scalability benefits. Yet, multi-cloud is not a silver bullet! There are several things to consider before implementing it in your organization. We hope this article helped with the pertinence of multi-cloud structures in development!
