Workload Compatibility, Interoperability & Potability – Verify that Apps & workloads can run seamlessly on multiple cloud enviros. Implement containerization e.g., Docker, Kubernetes & other abstraction layers. Avoid reliance on any one proprietary services, design Apps that can be easily migrated/replicated on different cloud platforms with minimal changes
Cost Efficiency & Optimization – Multi-cloud setups can sometimes lead to unexpected costs, if not managed well. Understand the pricing structures of each provider & assess how they align with your usage patterns. Consider using cloud cost mgmt. platforms i.e. CloudHealth, CloudCheckr, etc.
Data Management and Governance – Consider how data will be moved/synchronized between cloud providers, including costs & latency. Leverage a hybrid/edge computing strategy where necessary. Adhere to compliance with data protection laws i.e. GDPR, HIPAA etc. across different regions & cloud providers. Data encryption, access controls, & governance policies must be uniform across clouds. Develop a unified security posture. Cross-cloud security monitoring i.e. Prisma Cloud, AWS Security Hub
Vendor-Neutral Tools, Networking & Latency – Leverage vendor-neutral technologies i.e. Terraform, Kubernetes, Istio etc. for infra provisioning, orchestration, & mgmt. to avoid being locked into proprietary cloud-native services. Adopt vendor agnostic standards for APIs & SDKs enabling you to seamlessly switch between cloud providers. A reliable Inter-cloud connectivity, e.g., VPNs, dedicated interconnects to avoid performance bottlenecks. Additionally, some workloads require low-latency connections between clouds. Leverage geo locations of cloud providers.
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity – Confirm that DR plans cover outages/failures on multiple clouds. Consider running critical workloads in active-active configs on all platforms. Implement a multi-cloud backup & DR strategy that leverages diverse regions to reduce the risk of failure.
